Astrochemist Veronica
Education and Research Experience
Postdoctoral Fellow
April 2021 - April 2025
I am currently an NWO Veni Laureate at the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.
This time includes an extended period of sick leave.
Postdoctoral Fellow
July 2018 - March 2021
I was a NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) Fellow working at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in the Astrochemical Laboratory (Division 691). After July 2020 I was contracted with the Catholic University of America to continue my NPP work at Goddard.
ALMA Ambassador
March 2020
I was awarded a second opportunity to organize and run two ALMA workshops in the USA ($10000 prize). These were both moved online during the pandemic.
ALMA Ambassador
March 2019
I was one of 15 postdocs trained to organize and run an ALMA proposal workshop in the USA. I ran the day long workshop with one other person at the University of Maryland. I instructed the participants on the information necessary for a successful proposal, how to use the observers' tool, and about basic interferometry.
Solar System Exploration Division Planetary Science Winter School Participant
This school is a hands-on instrument design program at NASA Goddard to give scientists experience working with engineers in the creation of a real flight instrument to be proposed for a major NASA program. I shadowed a mechanical systems/structural engineer on the classified project.
November 2019-March 2020
PhD Candidate
January 2014 - July 2018
I performed my PhD research under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Floris F. S. van der Tak at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. My thesis title is “Organic chemistry around young high-mass stars: observational and theoretical” and can be downloaded here.
My PhD time includes 16 weeks of maternity leave.
MPhys/BSc
Physics with Astrophysics
September 2009-December 2013
I attended the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom for my Bachelor and Masters studies. My Masters' thesis was supervised by Prof. Rene D. Oudmaijer and was titled “Accretion rates and CO disk analysis in massive young stellar objects”.
I was awarded the Scriven Bolton Award after my first year, and conducted research during summer 2011.
My master's defense was delayed due to maternity leave.