Susanna L. Widicus-Weaver

Vozza Professor of Chemistry and Astronomy, UW–Madison

Susanna Widicus-Weaver conducts research in the emerging field of prebiotic astrochemistry where she investigates the chemical mechanisms in space that lead to the development of biological systems. Simply, the goal of Dr. Widicus-Weaver’s research is to interrogate how life may form with the evolution of planets. Her research draws from the forefronts of laboratory spectroscopy, observational astronomy, and chemical modeling. It is only through this type of fully integrated research combining spectroscopy, observations, and modeling that a clearer understanding of the mechanisms driving interstellar chemistry and the pathways for the formation of life will occur.

Dr. Widicus-Weaver received her Ph.D. for the California Institute of Technology.