Sergio Ioppolo

Sergio Ioppolo is an Associate Professor at Aarhus University, leader of the Space Ice Group, and a Principal Investigator in InterCat.

His research investigates how surface chemistry, radiation, thermal processing, and shocks transform cosmic ices from molecular clouds to planetary systems, and what determines which molecular signatures are inherited or chemically reset. He connects laboratory experiments with astronomical observations through spectroscopy spanning the vacuum ultraviolet to the terahertz regime. His experimental programme combines research at Aarhus University with coordinated campaigns at major European research infrastructures. A central goal of his programme is to develop quantitative space-ice metrology through reliable measurements, quantified uncertainties, reproducible protocols, and shared reference data. His long-term ambition is to understand how molecular complexity emerges and evolves in space, how it is inherited by planetary systems, and how this chemical evolution connects to the molecular origins of life on Earth.