Luna Rampinelli

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen.

In my research, I investigate the chemical conditions of planet formation, by studying key molecular tracers in protoplanetary disks, i.e., disks of gas and dust surrounding young stars. I am particularly interested in understanding the chemical evolution of the building blocks of planets across multiple stages of the star and planet formation history, with a focus on the disk phase, where planetary cores are assembled and atmospheres are accreted.

I obtained my PhD at the University of Milan, where I developed an observational approach to astrochemistry using the ALMA interferometer. During my PhD, I investigated the chemical link between forming giant planets and their natal disks in the planet-hosting PDS 70 system. Additionally, I studied the spatial distribution of water vapor and complex organic molecules —precursors of pre-biotically relevant ingredients— in the planets’ birth environment. Building on these studies, I joined the ALMA2040 effort to build the next-generation ALMA observatory.
I am now a postdoctoral researcher in the SEEDS group at the Niels Bohr Institute of Copenhagen, where I will bridge ALMA diagnostics on the outer giant planets-forming regions of disks with IR observations of the inner terrestrial planet-forming zone.