Both being PhD students in Chemistry, Maria and Juan will be discussing how chemists and astronomers work together to identify molecules in exoplanet atmospheres.

Juan is a PhD student in the School of Chemistry at UNSW. He uses computational molecular spectroscopy to help astronomers identify molecules related to signs of alien life in outer space. Originally from Colombia, Juan enjoys cooking authentic Colombian food and is always happy to give approximate translations from Aussie to Colombian slang. The one thing that Juan loves the most about Australia is TimTams - literally, the best chocolate biscuits ever made in human history, so he says.

Maria is a PhD student in the School of Chemistry at UNSW. She uses computational molecular spectroscopy to identify molecules that can tell us about the process of star and planet formation. She credits Star Trek partly for her love of astronomy and molecules—maybe there is coffee in some star-forming cloud? Being from Canada and a 12-hour drive from the closest ocean, she plans on utilising Sydney’s proximity to the ocean to take up snorkelling.