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 the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

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

star formation Star formation is the process by which dense regions within molecular clouds in interstellar space—sometimes referred to as "stellar nurseries" or "star-forming regions"—Jeans instability, collapse and form stars. As a branch of astronomy, sta ...

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 orbiting t ...

, and

stellar evolution Stellar evolution is the process by which a star changes over the course of time. Depending on the mass of the star, its lifetime can range from a few million years for the most massive to trillions of years for the least massive, which is consi ...

in relation to

organic molecules Some chemical authorities define an organic compound as a chemical compound that contains a carbon–hydrogen or carbon–carbon bond; others consider an organic compound to be any chemical compound that contains carbon. For example, carbon-cont ...

, which are necessary to determine the

origins of life Abiogenesis is the natural process by which life arises from non-living matter, such as simple organic compounds. The prevailing scientific hypothesis is that the transition from non-living to living entities on Earth was not a single even ...

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 Karlskrona (, , ) is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with a population of 66,675 in 2018. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to ...

, 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 Convention, articl ...

Education

Öberg was educated at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

and graduated

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree in

Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

. 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, statistical mech ...

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 Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince of Orange as a Protestantism, Protestant institution, it holds the d ...

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 molecula ...

. 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: D ...

, 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 (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine ...

projects and served as a teaching assistant for courses on

Pulsar A pulsar (''pulsating star, on the model of quasar'') is a highly magnetized rotating neutron star that emits beams of electromagnetic radiation out of its Poles of astronomical bodies#Magnetic poles, magnetic poles. This radiation can be obse ...

s and research for undergraduate students. She graduated

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 federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

awarded her a

Hubble Postdoctoral Fellowship The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is the science operations center for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), science operations and mission operations center for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and science operations center for the ...

. 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 not be considered an accretion disk; while the two are sim ...

s and

protostar A protostar is a very young star that is still gathering mass from its parent molecular cloud. It is the earliest phase in the process of stellar evolution. For a low-mass star (i.e. that of the Sun or lower), it lasts about 500,000 years. The p ...

s. Next, Öberg worked at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

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

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 that are held together by Force, attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions that satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemi ...

in a

, this molecule being methyl cyanide. 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 over 500 amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the 22 α-amino acids incorporated into proteins. Only these 22 a ...

s, the building blocks of

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

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, space garbage, or cosmic debris) are defunct human-made objects in spaceprincipally in Earth orbitwhich no longer serve a useful function. These include dere ...

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 Hydrogen cyanide (formerly known as prussic acid) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula, formula HCN and structural formula . It is a highly toxic and flammable liquid that boiling, boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is ...

. 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 is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

'' (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'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

and

LA Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the large ...

, 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 () is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.5 million members at year end 2023, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sweden, the largest List ...

, but soon after became agnostic. Her later conversion to Catholicism was partly inspired by

G. K. Chesterton Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an English author, philosopher, Christian apologist, journalist and magazine editor, and literary and art critic. Chesterton created the fictional priest-detective Father Brow ...

'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 yea ...

* 2009- Hubble Postdoctoral Fellow * 2010– C.J. Kokpriijs award for best Ph.D. thesis at

* 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 * 2024– Barry Prize for Distinguished Intellectual Achievement by the American Academy of Sciences and Letters.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oberg, Karin 1982 births 20th-century Swedish chemists 20th-century Swedish women scientists 21st-century Swedish chemists 21st-century women scientists Swedish chemists Swedish women chemists Astrochemists People from Nyköping 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 Recipients of the Newton Lacy Pierce Prize in Astronomy 20th-century Swedish astronomers 21st-century Swedish astronomers