As a Postdoc under InterCat I am researching whether the molecular building blocks of life are formed in interstellar space and if the delivery of these prebiotic molecules could have contributed to the origin of life. 

My research career started with my integrated Master’s degree (MSc) in Physics with Astrophysics at the University of Leicester, from which I graduated in 2020. The subject of how life started and the search for signs of life in the universe has always had a special interest for me, which led me to pursue a PhD in physics with InterCat, starting in 2021 and finishing in 2025. Following this, I started my current Postdoc position with InterCat.

My research has focused on the molecular building blocks of life with a particular focus on the formation of amino acids in extraterrestrial conditions. This has involved researching a wide range of different processing and conditions found in space, investigating simple ices and atomic chemistry up to energetic processing through the use of 1 MeV protons. This has meant that I have become familiar with and utilised many different experimental techniques. These range from vacuum chamber operations to mass spectrometry, infrared and UV spectroscopy to ex-situ electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry. 

During my current position, I will be continuing to explore the amino acids while expanding my research areas to include DNA and RNA base formation and further processing, while also investigating meteoritic material and how the findings from these investigations may give clues as to the molecules that can be formed and inherited from interstellar space.