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Dr. A. (Alessandra) Candian

Faculty of Science
Anton Pannekoek Institute of Astronomy
Photographer: Viola Zandanel

Visiting address
  • Science Park 904
  • Room number: C4.111
Postal address
  • Postbus 94249
    1090 GE Amsterdam
  • Biography

    Profile

    Alessandra Candian is an Assistant Professor with special enphasis on teaching at the University of Amsterdam.  She holds a Msc in Physics at  Universitá degli studi di Padova (Italy) and a PhD in Astrophysical Chemistry at the University of Nottingham (UK). In 2012 she joined the Leiden Observatory first as a postdoctoral reasearcher and then as a VENI laureate (2016). In 2019 she moved to the University of Amsterdam, where she worked as an Assistant Research Professor at the Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS). In 2021 she was hired as Open Science and Academic Skills teacher at TU Delft before joining the Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy in 2022.

    Research

    Alessandra is interested in the properties of  carbon-containing molecules in space and other planets. She has a strongly multidisciplinary and collaborative approach involving theoretical chemistry calculations, modelling, experiments and astronomical observations.  The main goal of her research is to answer key questions about the formation and evolution of carbonaceous molecules in the Interstellar medium and in the atmosphere of celestial bodies like Titan.  You can read more about this in her website and in this article.

    Teaching

    In addition to be a Guest Lecturer for interdisciplinary course such as "How to design an alien" and "Big History", Alessandra is coordinating the InterSpecial educational initiative.

    Keywords

    Astrochemistry, Planetary sciences, Star and planet formation; Interdisciplinary Research and Education

  • Publications

    2023

    • Candian, A., Rachid, M. G., MacIsaac, H., Staroverov, V. N., Peeters, E., & Cami, J. (2023). Searching for Stable Fullerenes in Space with Computational Chemistry. In V. Mennella, & C. Joblin (Eds.), European Conference on Laboratory Astrophysics ECLA2020 - The Interplay of Dust, Ice, and Gas in Space (pp. 177-181). (Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings; Vol. 59). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29003-9_19
    • Chown, R., PDRs4All program, Sidhu, A., Peeters, E., Tielens, A. G. G. M., Cami, J., Berné, O., Habart, E., Alarcón, F., Canin, A., Schroetter, I., Trahin, B., Van De Putte, D., Abergel, A., Bergin, E. A., Bernard-Salas, J., Boersma, C., Bron, E., Cuadrado, S., ... Petrignani, A. (2023). PDRs4All IV. An embarrassment of riches: Aromatic infrared bands in the Orion Bar. Astronomy & Astrophysics. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202346662
    • Esposito, V. J., Ferrari, P., Buma, W. J., Boersma, C., Mackie, C. J., Candian, A., Fortenberry, R. C., & Tielens, A. G. G. M. (2023). Anharmonicity and deuteration in the IR absorption and emission spectrum of phenylacetylene. Molecular Physics, Article e2261570. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/00268976.2023.2261570
    • Habart, E., PDRs4All program, Peeters, E., Berné, O., Trahin, B., Canin, A., Chown, R., Sidhu, A., Van De Putte, D., Alarcón, F., Schroetter, I., Dartois, E., Vicente, S., Abergel, A., Bergin, E. A., Bernard-Salas, J., Boersma, C., Bron, E., Cami, J., ... Petrignani, A. (2023). PDRs4All II: JWST's NIR and MIR imaging view of the Orion Nebula. Astronomy & Astrophysics. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202346747
    • Lemmens, A. K., Mackie, C. J., Candian, A., Lee, T. M. J., Tielens, A. G. G. M., Rijs, A. M., & Buma, W. J. (2023). Size distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in space: an old new light on the 11.2/3.3 μm intensity ratio. Faraday Discussions, 245, 380-390. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2fd00180b

    2022

    • Mackie, C. J., Candian, A., Lee, T. J., & Tielens, A. G. G. M. (2022). Anharmonicity and the IR Emission Spectrum of Neutral Interstellar PAH Molecules. Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 126(20), 3198-3209. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpca.2c01849 [details]
    • PI Team, Berné, O., Habart, É., Peeters, E., Tielens, A. G. G. M., Candian, A., Cox, N. L. J., Lee, T. J., Petrignani, A., & PDRs4All program (2022). PDRs4All: A JWST Early Release Science Program on Radiative Feedback from Massive Stars. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 134(1035), Article 054301. https://doi.org/10.1088/1538-3873/ac604c [details]
    • Petrignani, A., & Candian, A. (2022). Astrochemistry: Ingredients of life in space. In R. Thombre, & P. Vaishampayan (Eds.), New Frontiers in Astrobiology (pp. 49-66). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-824162-2.00007-5 [details]
    • Wiersma, S. D., Candian, A., Bakker, J. . M., & Petrignani, A. (2022). Gas-phase spectroscopy of photostable PAH ions from the mid- to far-infrared. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 516(4), 5216–5226. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stac2627 [details]

    2021

    2020

    2019

    • Lemmens, A. K., Rap, D. B., Thunnissen, J. M. M., Mackie, C. J., Candian, A., Tielens, A. G. G. M., Rijs, A. M., & Buma, W. J. (2019). Anharmonicity in the mid-infrared spectra of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: molecular beam spectroscopy and calculations. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 628, Article A130. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201935631 [details]

    2018

    • Mackie, C. J., Candian, A., Huang, X., Maltseva, E., Petrignani, A., Oomens, J., Buma, W. J., Lee, T. J., & Tielens, A. G. G. M. (2018). The anharmonic quartic force field infrared spectra of hydrogenated and methylated PAHs. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 20(2), 1189-1197. https://doi.org/10.1039/c7cp06546a [details]
    • Maltseva, E., Mackie, C. J., Candian, A., Petrignani, A., Huang, X., Lee, T. J., Tielens, A. G. G. M., Oomens, J., & Buma, W. J. (2018). High-resolution IR absorption spectroscopy of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the 3 μm region: role of hydrogenation and alkylation. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 610, Article A65. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201732102 [details]

    2016

    • Mackie, C. J., Candian, A., Huang, X., Maltseva, E., Petrignani-Taube, A., Oomens, J., Mattioda, A. L., Buma, W. J., Lee, T. J., & Tielens, A. G. G. M. (2016). The anharmonic quartic force field infrared spectra of five non-linear polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Benz[a]anthracene, chrysene, phenanthrene, pyrene, and triphenylene. Journal of Chemical Physics, 145(8). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4961438
    • Maltseva, E., Petrignani-Taube, A., Candian, A., Mackie, C. J., Huang, X., Lee, T. J., Tielens, A. G. G. M., Oomens, J., & Buma, W. J. (2016). Erratum: HIGH-RESOLUTION IR ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS: THE REALM OF ANHARMONICITY (vol 814, 23, 2015). Astrophysical Journal, 820(1). https://doi.org/10.3847/0004-637X/820/1/81
    • Maltseva, E., Petrignani-Taube, A., Candian, A., Mackie, C. J., Huang, X., Lee, T. J., Tielens, A. G. G. M., Oomens, J., & Buma, W. J. (2016). HIGH-RESOLUTION IR ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN THE 3 mu m REGION: ROLE OF PERIPHERY. Astrophysical Journal, 831(1). https://doi.org/10.3847/0004-637X/831/1/58

    2015

    2019

    Prize / grant

    Others

    • Petrignani, A. (organiser), Candian, A. (organiser), Van de Sande, M. (organiser), Viti, S. (organiser), Millar, T. J. (organiser) & Fontani, F. (participant) (29-6-2020 - 3-7-2020). EAS Special Session 11. The Molecular Journey from stars to disks, ONLINE! (organising a conference, workshop, ...).

    2022

    • Wiersma, S., Candian, A., Bakker, J. M. & Petrignani, A. (13-9-2022). RDM data for paper on Gas-phase spectroscopy of photostable PAH ions from the mid- to far-infrared. Universiteit van Amsterdam. https://doi.org/10.21942/uva.17023880.v1
    • Wiersma, S., Candian, A., Rapacioli, M. & Petrignani, A. (4-4-2022). RDM data for paper on IRMPD spectroscopy of dibenzo[a,l]pyrene using FELICE. Universiteit van Amsterdam. https://doi.org/10.21942/uva.16873834.v4
    This list of publications is extracted from the UvA-Current Research Information System. Questions? Ask the library or the Pure staff of your faculty / institute. Log in to Pure to edit your publications. Log in to Personal Page Publication Selection tool to manage the visibility of your publications on this list.
  • Ancillary activities
    No ancillary activities