معرفی
Jessica Erkal is an Observational Astrochemistry Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Astronomy (IfA Mānoa, University of Hawaii at Mānoa). She earned a Ph.D. in Star Formation (2022) and an MSc in Space Science & Technology (2017) from University College Dublin, and a B.A. in Physics & Astrophysics (2016) from Trinity College Dublin.
- Ph.D.: Star Formation, 2022, University College Dublin
- MSc: Space Science & Technology, 2017, University College Dublin
- B.A.: Physics & Astrophysics, 2016, Trinity College Dublin
Her research focuses on star formation and astrochemistry, leveraging cutting-edge observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) as part of the ERS IceAge team. She analyzes photometric catalogs of background stars in the Chameleon I star-forming cloud to study interstellar medium processes. Her prior work explored protostellar jets, their launch mechanisms, and their impacts on protoplanetary disks and surrounding molecular clouds. She also investigates the accretion-ejection connection in young stars using data from the VLT's X-Shooter spectrograph.
Jessica was awarded a one-year IRC-ESO studentship (2021) to conduct research at ESO-HQ in Garching, Germany. Her work bridges observational astronomy with planetary science, emphasizing the role of jets and accretion in shaping disk environments for potential planet formation.
