Kim Steenbakkers, PhD student
Kim wants to get a better understanding of molecules in space and will work at the optimisation of the techniques used.
Steenbakkers obtained her bachelor Chemistry across the street in the Huygens building. After a gap year in Hongkong she continued her studies with a Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Advanced Spectroscopy in Chemistry, a two-year programme within five European universities. In Krakow she finished her master thesis on heterogeneous catalysis. Due to the coronavirus it was completely theoretical. At HFML-FELIX she can indulge herself again with loads of experiments.
Astrochemistry appeals to her as you can define what molecules appear in space. And you can study the interactions of relatively small molecules with great detail. The linear molecules she looks at with large wavelength are doing special things she want to get to know more about. Like a ‘simple’ C2H+ molecule, that tends to bend at specific wavelengths. “Very fundamental, but I really want to understand things, not just guess what happens”. For the theoretical part, like the quantum chemistry calculations, she will join IMM's Theoretical and Computational Chemistry research group.