Meeting fellow colleagues during the pandemic

Working together on projects at the intersection of Earth sciences and astronomy

As a scientist, it is incredibly important to keep working together with other scientists in your field. When multiple scientists work together towards an overall goal, this is sometimes referred to as a scientific network. My project is part of a specific network: the PEPSci programme.

PEPSci • Pepsi (cola) is known in the Netherlands as a tasty soft drink. This is very similar to the name: PEPSci, a science programme that has a completely different meaning in Dutch astronomy: "Planetary and Exoplanetary Science". The initiative of the interdisciplinary PEPSci programme started in 2013. It is a partnership where scientists combine their strengths and knowledge. They operate at the intersection of earth sciences, planetary geology, astronomy and chemistry. Our projects are roughly divided in two themes: "Building blocks of life: from disks to exoplanets", and "Earth-like planets: from colliding pebbles to dynamic exoplanets".

Last Friday I met Christiaan, Elina, Orr, Tara and Vivian. Soon I will also meet Alexandra and Mark online. (Actually, I happen to know Mark already from my Astronomy degree). Together, we are an enthusiastic group of eight PhD candidates who, in the next 3.5 years, will be looking at how planets (were) formed, how we can observe them, and (importantly for me) what the signs are of possible life on these planets. I look forward to it!

We are currently working on setting up a website and also contacting our predecessors!