Susanna Widicus Weaver
Emory College of Arts and Sciences
I conduct research in the emerging field of prebiotic astrochemistry, where I investigate the chemical mechanisms in space that lead to the development of biological systems through interdisciplinary work in laboratory spectroscopy, observational astronomy, and astrochemical modelling. It is common for astrochemists to focus on only one of these areas, and only rarely does a researcher cross disciplinary boundaries. My expertise in all three areas of astrochemistry is therefore quite unique.
In my graduate research, I conducted the first integrated study of prebiotic interstellar chemistry, using both laboratory spectroscopy and observational astronomy to investigate biological building blocks such as sugars and aminoalcohols. I characterized these molecules after relocating, rebuilding, and upgrading the original Fourier-transform microwave spectrometer (vintage 1981) and developing a submillimeter spectrometer. I then used radio telescopes to search for these species in space. From these results, I pinpointed important prebiotic chemical pathways and challenged the conventional wisdom regarding complex interstellar chemical mechanisms.
While my thesis work gave me a strong foundation in spectroscopy and radioastronomy, my postdoctoral research extended this knowledge to new frequency ranges, spectroscopic techniques, and astrochemical applications. Molecular ions and other important astrochemical molecules such as C60 are challenging for spectroscopy, and I worked to overcome sensitivity limitations using novel molecular sources and cutting-edge spectroscopic methods. I joined Professor McCall's new group at the end of his first year at UIUC, and led the effort to design and construct his first three infrared continuous-wave cavity ringdown spectrometers. I benchmarked these spectrometers with simpler species and laid the groundwork for obtaining the first cold, resolved gas phase spectrum of C60 -- the largest and most symmetric molecule to ever be studied with high resolution spectroscopy. I also continued observations in radioastronomy that test the boundaries of organic interstellar chemistry, and developed the first astrochemical model to incorporate realistic solid state chemistry.
It is only through a combination of spectroscopy, observations, and modelling that we will fully understand the mechanisms driving interstellar chemistry and the pathways for the formation of life. To this end, my research group at Emory is extending this astrochemistry research to the investigation of highly reactive prebiotic organic molecules. Spectral, kinetic, and ultimately reaction dynamic studies of transient molecules are important not only to prebiotic molecular evolution in astrochemistry, but also to organic reaction mechanisms and atmospheric chemistry. These experiments require the development of new terahertz (THz) spectroscopic techniques to bridge the gap between the microwave and infrared spectral windows. I am uniquely qualified to undertake such an initiative, as this relatively unexplored area will expand upon the techniques that I used in my previous laboratory studies. This work is crucial for support of new far-infrared astronomical observatories, and we are building an integrated laboratory, observational, and modelling program that extends existing collaborations into the THz frequency range.
In my graduate research, I conducted the first integrated study of prebiotic interstellar chemistry, using both laboratory spectroscopy and observational astronomy to investigate biological building blocks such as sugars and aminoalcohols. I characterized these molecules after relocating, rebuilding, and upgrading the original Fourier-transform microwave spectrometer (vintage 1981) and developing a submillimeter spectrometer. I then used radio telescopes to search for these species in space. From these results, I pinpointed important prebiotic chemical pathways and challenged the conventional wisdom regarding complex interstellar chemical mechanisms.
While my thesis work gave me a strong foundation in spectroscopy and radioastronomy, my postdoctoral research extended this knowledge to new frequency ranges, spectroscopic techniques, and astrochemical applications. Molecular ions and other important astrochemical molecules such as C60 are challenging for spectroscopy, and I worked to overcome sensitivity limitations using novel molecular sources and cutting-edge spectroscopic methods. I joined Professor McCall's new group at the end of his first year at UIUC, and led the effort to design and construct his first three infrared continuous-wave cavity ringdown spectrometers. I benchmarked these spectrometers with simpler species and laid the groundwork for obtaining the first cold, resolved gas phase spectrum of C60 -- the largest and most symmetric molecule to ever be studied with high resolution spectroscopy. I also continued observations in radioastronomy that test the boundaries of organic interstellar chemistry, and developed the first astrochemical model to incorporate realistic solid state chemistry.
It is only through a combination of spectroscopy, observations, and modelling that we will fully understand the mechanisms driving interstellar chemistry and the pathways for the formation of life. To this end, my research group at Emory is extending this astrochemistry research to the investigation of highly reactive prebiotic organic molecules. Spectral, kinetic, and ultimately reaction dynamic studies of transient molecules are important not only to prebiotic molecular evolution in astrochemistry, but also to organic reaction mechanisms and atmospheric chemistry. These experiments require the development of new terahertz (THz) spectroscopic techniques to bridge the gap between the microwave and infrared spectral windows. I am uniquely qualified to undertake such an initiative, as this relatively unexplored area will expand upon the techniques that I used in my previous laboratory studies. This work is crucial for support of new far-infrared astronomical observatories, and we are building an integrated laboratory, observational, and modelling program that extends existing collaborations into the THz frequency range.