Karin Ingegerd Öberg (born August 27, 1982) is a Swedish astrochemist.Öberg, Karin I. (2009). ''Complex processes in simple ices - Laboratory and observational studies of gas-grain interactions during star formation'' (Ph.D.). Leiden Universit

/ref> She is a Professor of

Astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

and leader of the Öberg Astrochemistry Group at the Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian. Her research concerns star formation,

planet formation The nebular hypothesis is the most widely accepted model in the field of cosmogony to explain the formation and evolution of the Solar System (as well as other planetary systems). It suggests the Solar System is formed from gas and dust orbitin ...

, and stellar evolution in relation to organic molecules, which are necessary to determine the

origins of life In biology, abiogenesis (from a- 'not' + Greek bios 'life' + genesis 'origin') or the origin of life is the natural process by which life has arisen from non-living matter, such as simple organic compounds. The prevailing scientific hypothes ...

on Earth and elsewhere. In April 2015, her group discovered the first complex organic molecule in a protoplanetary disk.

Early life

Karin Öberg was born in Nyköping, Sweden. At age 6, her family relocated to Karlskrona, where she spent the rest of her childhood. She was raised alongside two brothers, and attended public primary, secondary, and high schools. In 2001, Öberg's high school chemistry teacher signed her up for the local Chemistry Olympiad. She qualified for the international competition, being one of four students to represent Sweden. Also during her senior year at the ''Chapmanskolan'' gymnasium, she conducted a project under the supervision of her father, which resulted in her first

publication To publish is to make content available to the general public.Berne Conve ...

Education

Öberg was educated at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

and graduated cum laude in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. She has said that "Caltech was a birth through fire experience into science, which taught erto think, to ask questions, and to solve problems as hescarce had thought ermind capable of." During her time as an undergraduate, she was a member of

physical chemistry Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistica ...

and

astrochemistry Astrochemistry is the study of the abundance and reactions of molecules in the Universe, and their interaction with radiation. The discipline is an overlap of astronomy and chemistry. The word "astrochemistry" may be applied to both the Solar Syst ...

research, and published two scientific papers based on her work in the groups. Following her undergraduate studies, Öberg took up a Ph.D. position at Leiden University in the Netherlands under the supervision of

Ewine van Dishoeck Ewine Fleur van Dishoeck (born 13 June 1955, in Leiden) is a Dutch astronomer and chemist. She is Professor of Molecular Astrophysics at Leiden Observatory, and served as the President of the International Astronomical Union (2018–2021) and a ...

and Harold Linnartz. She spent four years combining laboratory simulation and astronomical observation to study the chemistry and dynamics of

interstellar ice Interstellar ice consists of grains of volatiles in the ice phase that form in the interstellar medium. Ice and dust grains form the primary material out of which the Solar System was formed. Grains of ice are found in the dense regions of molecular ...

. This research led to a

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

, titled "Complex processes in simple ices: Laboratory and observational studies of gas-grain interactions during star formation." Öberg presented the different chapters at conferences worldwide and several institutions in the United States. The doctoral thesis was defended on September 16, 2009. Besides conducting this research, Öberg supervised two

M.Sc. A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

projects and served as a teaching assistant for courses on Pulsars and research for undergraduate students. She graduated cum laude with a Ph.D. in

from Leiden University in 2009.

Career

After Öberg received her Ph.D. in 2009,

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

awarded her a Hubble Postdoctoral Fellowship. She used this funding to research at the Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian until August 2012. During this time, she studied the radioastronomical observations of organic molecules in young stars, such as

protoplanetary disk A protoplanetary disk is a rotating circumstellar disc of dense gas and dust surrounding a young newly formed star, a T Tauri star, or Herbig Ae/Be star. The protoplanetary disk may also be considered an accretion disk for the star itself, be ...

s and

protostar A protostar is a very young star that is still gathering mass from its parent molecular cloud. The protostellar phase is the earliest one in the process of stellar evolution. For a low-mass star (i.e. that of the Sun or lower), it lasts about 50 ...

s. Next, Öberg worked at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

as a visiting scholar and Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Astronomy until June 2013. She conducted laboratory ice experiments and studied spatially- and spectrally-determined astronomical observations, both of which focused on the processes that take place during the chemical evolution of a planet or star. Öberg returned to Harvard in July 2013 as an Assistant Professor of Astronomy. Here, she formed the Öberg Astrochemistry Group. This group conducts research at the Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian. Öberg serves on the board of the Society of Catholic Scientists, and is an advisor of the Purposeful Universe Project.

Research

As of 2021, Öberg has published over 130 refereed articles, at least 36 of those as the first author, and has been cited over 11,000 times. Her main domain of work currently pertains to

and its effect on

. The Öberg Astrochemistry Group, her current research group, states that their main research addresses the following: The group's research is composed of laboratory ice simulations and radio and infrared observations of astronomical behaviors and information.

Discovery of a complex molecule in a protoplanetary disk

On April 9, 2015, the Öberg Astrochemistry Group published a paper stating they detected the first complex carbon

molecule A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioche ...

in a

, this molecule being

methyl cyanide Acetonitrile, often abbreviated MeCN (methyl cyanide), is the chemical compound with the formula and structure . This colourless liquid is the simplest organic nitrile ( hydrogen cyanide is a simpler nitrile, but the cyanide anion is not cla ...

. Methyl cyanide (CH₃CN) is thought to be important for the

because it contains carbon-nitrogen bonds, which make up

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although hundreds of amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the alpha-amino acids, which comprise proteins. Only 22 alpha a ...

s, the building blocks of

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...

s. Up until this discovery, it was unclear if these molecules could exist in abundance in young disks because of their turbulent and chaotic nature. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), Öberg's group was able to survey the

orbital debris Space debris (also known as space junk, space pollution, space waste, space trash, or space garbage) are defunct human-made objects in space—principally in Earth orbit—which no longer serve a useful function. These include derelict space ...

of the newly formed star MWC 480, to discover enough methyl cyanide to fill all of Earth's oceans and the presence of other simpler molecules such as hydrogen cyanide. This discovery is significant because it shows that the backbone of life, complex carbon bonds, are not exclusive to our Solar System. In an interview, Öberg stated that comet records suggest the presence of complex organic molecules in other protoplanetary disks as well. The finding was published in the scientific journal ''

Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...

'' (volume 520), titled "The comet-like composition of a protoplanetary disk as revealed by complex cyanides." It also had media coverage in

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

and LA Times, along with a press release from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO).

Personal life

As a child, Öberg was confirmed in the

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...

, but soon after became agnostic. Her later conversion to Catholicism was partly inspired by G. K. Chesterton's ''Orthodoxy'', having remained a devout Catholic ever since.

Selected publications

* * *

Awards and honors

* 2001- Swedish representative in the

International Chemistry Olympiad The International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) is an annual academic competition for high school students. It is one of the International Science Olympiads. The first IChO was held in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1968. The event has been held every year ...

* 2009- Hubble Postdoctoral Fellow * 2010- C.J. Kokpriijs award for best Ph.D. thesis at Leiden University * 2012- Paul Hertelendy (PH) Lecturer, Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian * 2012- Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow in Physics * 2014- Simons Collaboration on the Origins of Life (SCOL) Investigator award * 2014- Packard Fellow for Science and Engineering

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oberg, Karin 1982 births 20th-century chemists 20th-century Swedish scientists 20th-century women scientists 21st-century Swedish chemists 21st-century Swedish scientists 21st-century women scientists Swedish chemists Swedish women chemists Astrochemists People from Nyköping Municipality California Institute of Technology alumni Leiden University alumni University of Virginia staff Harvard University faculty Hubble Fellows Living people Swedish Roman Catholics Converts to Roman Catholicism from atheism or agnosticism Former Lutherans