Susanna Widicus Weaver

Susanna Widicus Weaver is the Vozza Professor of Chemistry and Astronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research integrates laboratory molecular spectroscopy, radio and far-IR observations, and astrochemical modeling to study the evolution of prebiotic molecules during star and planet formation.

• Education: B.S. in Chemistry from Illinois Wesleyan University (2000), Ph.D. in Chemistry from Caltech (2005), postdoc at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2005-2008).
• Research Focus: Prebiotic astrochemistry, O(1D) insertion reactions, plasma chemistry for ion/radical generation, methanol photolysis, and SubLIME2 experiments on astrophysical ices. Specializes in millimeter/submillimeter-wave spectroscopy and cavity-enhanced THz techniques.
• Labs & Teams: Leads the Widicus Weaver Research Group, which includes graduate students (e.g., Jonathan Rebelsky, Colton Moore) and undergraduates. Collaborates with institutions like Las Cumbres Observatory and CAPER for observational astronomy.

Her work addresses transient molecular species in space, branching ratios in photolysis reactions, and the development of high-sensitivity THz spectroscopy methods to close gaps in astrochemical understanding.