معرفی
Merel van 't Hoff is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Purdue University. She obtained her PhD from Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands under Prof. Ewine van Dishoeck and Dr. John Tobin, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in the Society of Fellows at the University of Michigan. Her research investigates young protostellar disks using molecular line observations, chemical modeling, and radiative transfer to unravel initial conditions for planet formation, with emphasis on sublimation fronts (snowlines, soot line) and chemical tracers of physical conditions.
Her primary research interests include:
- Temperature-dependent chemistry in protoplanetary disks (20K CO snowline, 100K water snowline, 300K soot line)
- Chemical tracers for locating sublimation fronts (e.g., N2H+ for CO snowline, H13CO+ for water snowline)
- Chemical complexity in planet-forming material during accretion outbursts
- Disk structure and evolution in embedded Class 0/I systems
Her publications predominantly focus on ALMA/NOEMA observations of young stellar objects, analyzing disk temperature structures, snowline locations, and molecular distributions. Recent work emphasizes high-resolution imaging of water/CO snowlines and carbon-grain sublimation effects, contributing to understanding planetesimal formation and volatile depletion.
Awards & Fellowships:
- ALMA Ambassador, North American ALMA Science Center (2021)
Major Collaborations:
- Principal Investigator for NOEMA pilot studies on carbon-grain sublimation
- Co-Investigator for ALMA Large Programs: eDisk (Early Planet Formation in Embedded Disks) and COMPASS (Complex Organic Molecules in Protostars)
- Member of the VANDAM (VLA/ALMA Nascent Disk and Multiplicity) survey team
