Kim Steenbakkers awarded cum laude distinction at PhD defense

Earlier this month Kim Steenbakkers successfully defended her PhD thesis “Spectroscopic investigations into small astrochemically relevant open-shell cations”. Her thesis was awarded the cum laude distinction for exceptional quality.

What is in the space between the stars

Many people imagine the interstellar medium (ISM), the space between the stars, as an empty, cold infinity. In reality, it is teeming with special molecules: more than 300 different types have already been discovered. Many of these molecules, such as CCH⁺, are extremely unstable under Earth conditions. They can only exist thanks to the extreme vacuum and low temperatures in space.

To study these special molecules, Kim Steenbakkers and her colleagues simulated these conditions in a laboratory setup at research institute HFML-FELIX. There, free-electron lasers were used to characterize the molecules spectroscopically. Complex quantum mechanical calculations then made it possible to actually identify these molecules in space.

We wish Kim Steenbakkers the best of luck in her new role as Program officer in the Chemistry & Physics department of the Science domain at NWO!

If you want to read more about her work:

What’s in the space between the stars: at least space molecule CH3+