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Dr. Alessandra Ricca
Lead Co-Investigator,
Carl Sagan Center for the Study of Life in the Universe, SETI Institute
Alessandra Ricca is a computational chemist who is interested in the formation of complex organic molecules, such as nitrogenated aromatic heterocycles, in various environments, ranging from outflows of carbon-rich stars to Titan’s haze and the early Earth. Heterocycles containing nitrogen atoms, such as pyrroles and pyrimidines, are among the building blocks of life. Understanding how they are formed is of fundamental importance to astrobiology.
Alessandra is also involved in the computation of the spectral properties
of carbonaceous molecular species to help interpret data obtained by
various NASA missions, such as the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Stratospheric
Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).