Current Position

Currently, I am employed as an assistant professor on a personal Vidi research grant in the group of prof. dr. Harold Linnartz at the Laboratory for Astrophysics at Leiden Observatory. My research revolves mostly around understanding the formation and destruction of complex organic molecules (e.g. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)) in an astronomical setting, such as the Interstellar Medium (ISM) or (exo)planetary atmospheres. Furthermore, I characterize organic molecules spectroscopically with the aim to detect them in remote environments. To achieve this, I make use of a combination of state-of-the-art physico chemical experimental techniques in combination with quantum chemical computations.

Background

I obtained my physics degree (B. Eng.) from the Technische Hogeschool Rijswijk. As a thesis subject I studied high resolution infrared spectra of van der Waals bound clusters formed in an electron impact plasma expansion at the Laser Laboratory of the Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam. This sparked my interest in the application of light to study molecules and I decided to pursue a master's degree in chemistry at the VU. After successfully finishing the masters study "Laser Sciences", I continued my career at the Leiden University, where in 2010 I obtained my PhD on my thesis titled "Spectroscopy and Chemistry of Interstellar Ice Analogues".

After finishing my PhD I moved to the University of California, Berkeley to start a postdoc in the group of prof. dr. Stephen Leone. Here, I studied the formation of hydrocarbons with isomer specificity under low temperature conditions that resemble the atmosphere of Saturn's largest moon, Titan (see image). Furthermore, I have been involved in pump-probe spectroscopy using high harmonics generated from femtosecond laser systems. After spending three years at the synchrotron of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and on the UC Berkeley campus, I moved on to the Free Electron Laser Facility FELIX, at Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Here, I studied on a personal (VENI) research grant the dissociation of aromatic molecules using sensitive mid-IR action spectroscopy.

What's next?

In 2021, I will start as an assistant professor in the field of cosmochemistry at LASP and the Chemistry Department of CU Boulder. My main interest is applying physicochemical laboratory measurement techniques and quantum chemical computations to understand chemical processes of astronomical importance. A particular focus is put on understanding the chemical evolution of carbonaceous molecules in the interstellar medium, from the early stages of star formation, to our current day Solar System.

Research profile

My google scholar profile can be found here.

My curriculum vitae can be downloaded here.