Maria Cunningham

Maria Cunningham is a researcher at the School of Physics, University of New South Wales (UNSW), focusing on molecular astrophysics, astrochemistry, and computational astrophysics. Her work bridges disciplines like physics, astronomy, and chemistry to explore star formation, interstellar molecular clouds, and pre-biotic molecules.

Her research involves collaborations with international teams in the USA, Chile, and Germany, emphasizing data-intensive astronomy and ALMA observations. Key projects include the ATOMS survey, SPLASH (Southern Parkes Large-Area Survey in Hydroxyl), and computational modeling of magnetic fields and turbulence in the interstellar medium.

• Molecular Astrophysics: Investigating physical conditions and chemistry in molecular clouds via molecular line radiation.
• Bioastronomy: Studying pre-biotic molecules in the interstellar medium.
• Turbulence & Star Formation: Linking magnetic field alignment and turbulent energy transfer to star formation processes.

The 15 most recent articles span astrophysics (e.g., magnetic fields in RCW 36, Orion cold clumps) and an outlier 2021 virology study on SARS-CoV-2. Trends highlight molecular cloud dynamics, computational methods, and interdisciplinary applications of astrophysical data.