Coffee Chat

Brett and Alana Nisperos

The Grab & GO

1. Ion-molecule routes towards cycles in TMC-1. An automated study of the C2H4 + CH2CCH+ reaction

Mallo et al. arXiv (A&A)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.27501  

2. A Critical Examination of the PAH Hypothesis

Tokunaga et al. arXiv (MNRAS)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.26970    

3. UV irradiation of ethanol-containing interstellar ice analogs: Photostability in ethanol:CO mixtures

DeVine et al. arXiv
https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.27422   

4. Cryogenic Infrared Action Spectroscopy of [H2NCO]+ and [H2NCS]+, Protonated Forms of Interstellar HNCO and HNCS

Gerlach et al. JPCA
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jpca.5c04708        

5. Nature of Adsorption of Amino Acids and Precursors on Interstellar Amorphous Solid Water

Watanabe et al. MNRAS
https://academic.oup.com/mnras/advance-article/doi/10.1093/mnras/staf1913/8316001?rss=1   

6. Isomer-Specific Branching Ratios in the Formation of Cyanopropene (C3H5CN) through the C3H6 + CN Reaction under Interstellar Conditions

Mallo et a l. ACS E&SC
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.5c00274       

7. The Evolution in Coma Molecular Composition of Comet C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) Across the H2O Sublimation Zone: ALMA Imaging of an H2O-Dominated Coma

Roth et al. arXiv
https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.05662  

8. Observational evidence for a possible link between PAH emission and dust trap locations in protoplanetary disks

van der Marel et al. arXiv (A&A)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.06935         

9. Colors of Life in the Clouds: Biopigments of Atmospheric Microorganisms as a New Signature to Detect Life on Planets like Earth

Coelho et al. ApJL
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ae129a          

10. Chemical modeling of aminoketene, ethanolamine, and glycine production in interstellar ices

John Black, arXiv
https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.06444      

Single-Origin Brew

Gabi Wenzel and Elettra Piacentino

Elettra's Paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.09797v1 

Percolator

• The birth of astrochemistry! Check out some of the relevant news articles below!

Chalkboard

• Upcoming Meetings

• • Registration for "Global Astrochemistry Lecture Series - Astrochemistry: From the Big Bang to Life" online course is now Open!  GALS is aimed at providing a broad overview of scientific issues, problems, achievements, and open questions in astrochemistry; and at helping senior undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as early career scientists to expand their interests and develop a firm understanding of this area, sufficient to choose an appropriate direction for their future career. The course is open to students and scientists from all over the world.
    
    Registration for free before the end of January.
    
    https://www.astrochemistry.de/online-course/ 

  • There is a session "The Icy Universe Revealed by JWST" sponsored by the American Chemical Society Astrochemistry subdivision at the spring meeting in Atlanta, GA March 22-26, 2026.  Abstract submission has already passed, but registration is open for some time, yet.
    
    

  • There is a conference, Exploring the Aromatic Universe in the JWST Era, to be held July 6-10 in London, Ontario. This symposium will bring together experts from observational astronomy, laboratory astrophysics, theoretical modeling, and quantum chemistry to explore the latest discoveries and future frontiers in PAH and fullerene research. With a special emphasis on extragalactic PAH studies, participants will discuss how new observational capabilities (e.g., JWST, SPHEREx) and cutting-edge theoretical and experimental approaches can expand our understanding of these key interstellar species.  https://www.aromaticuniverse.space/
    
    

  • There will be many astrochemistry sessions at the International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy June 22-26 in Champaign-Urbana, IL.  Abstract submission will open in February with a deadline at the beginning of March.
    
    

  • There will be a session at COSPAR 2026 entitled: “Interstellar Chemistry, Interstellar Origins: Observations, Experiments, Models and Theory of the Molecular Evolution of the Universe.”  COSPAR will be August 1-9 in Florence, Italy.
    
    

  • It looks like the 2026 European Conference on Laboratory Astrophysics will be held 21-25 September, 2026, in Heidelberg.
    
    

  • Save the date for “Cosmic rays 4: The salt of the star formation recipe” October 5-9 in Pisa, Italy.

• Job Opportunities

• • There is postdoc position in Protoplanetary Disks and Planet Formation to work with Professor Jane Huang. Current research topics in the Huang group include environmental influences on protoplanetary disks and planet formation, disk chemistry, disk substructures, and planet-disk interactions. The ideal candidate will have experience and interest in observations or modelling relevant to one or more of these areas. The initial appointment is for one year, with possibility of renewal for two additional years contingent upon satisfactory performance. The expected start date is Sept. 1, 2026, but the date is negotiable.

Applications due 22 December.  

https://aas.org/jobregister/ad/9c3a61ec

• There is a postdoc position available to work with German Molpeceres in the Astrophysics Group at CSIC in Spain.  During the first stages of the project, the successful candidate will contribute to the development of a database of detected and potentially detectable interstellar isomers, together with the physical descriptors that will aid in their detection. In parallel, the candidate will develop machine learned interatomic potentials to investigate key reactions on interstellar substrates through molecular dynamics simulations, focusing on the partitioning among the different isomeric channels after the reactions.

The expected start date is around April of 2026.  Interested parties should send a CV to German (german.molpeceres@iff.csic.es)

• A PhD position entitled “Laboratory studies of the processing of astrochemical ices” is available for September 2026 in Professor Wendy Brown’s research group at the University of Sussex, UK. As part of this PhD position, there will also be a 2-3 months research placement at the FELIX laboratory at Radboud University in Nijmegen in The Netherlands.

Application deadline is January 6th.  Link to the position on our website, and you can also contact Wendy directly.

https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/phd-funding/view/1868-EPSRC-Science-and-Engineering-studentships

• There is a Faculty position in Laboratory Astrophysics open at Leiden Observatory.  The successful candidate will carry out a strong and impactful research program in the laboratory, and play an important role in its further development. The Leiden Laboratory for Astrophysics has a strong history in astrophysical laboratory experiments, including both gas-phase and solid-state processes (see labastro.strw.leidenuniv.nl). Furthermore, the successful candidate will contribute as a lecturer to the educational program of the Observatory and act as supervisor of BSc and MSc research projects within the Laboratory for Astrophysics.

Application deadline is January 30th.

https://aas.org/jobregister/ad/6579b201 

• Icarus Special Issue

  •  There’s a special issue in the journal Icarus on “Carbon in Planetary Environments: Sources and Evolution.”  The description reads:

Carbon is one of the most abundant elements, and its chemical form and evolution play a significant role in shaping planetary environments. For example, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are a significant interstellar carbon reservoir, and work to characterize the chemistry and life-cycle of such material is ongoing. The interplay between carbon and oxygen in accretionary environments controls redox state and has implications for the composition of condensates. Carbon is the basis for organic chemistry that is critical for life as we know it, and may also provide valuable biosignatures for detection (remote and in situ) of extraterrestrial life. In planetary bodies, the exchange of carbon between atmospheres and interiors controls planetary climate, whereas atmospheric gases such as CO2 and CO are important for planetary habitability and CH4 is a potential biosignature gas. The linkages between inherited and evolved forms of carbon in planetary systems are coming in to sharper focus as ALMA and JWST expand our view of the cosmos, and sample return missions such as OSIRIS-REx, Hayabusa2, and Martian Moons Explorer (MMX) enable groundbreaking laboratory analysis of carbonaceous materials. At the same time, space exploration missions such as Europa Clipper, JUICE, and Dragonfly are rapidly expanding the boundaries of our knowledge, as preparations for future missions such as the Habitable Worlds Observatory continue. This Special Issue presents new research from laboratory experiments, modeling work, data analysis, and other scientific techniques on carbon in planetary systems and beyond, including astronomical sources.

Submissions will be due by Jan 30, 2026.