Dr Tamara Molyarova

Profile

I defended my PhD thesis on chemical structure of protoplanetary discs in September 2021. In that work, I modelled the chemical composition of gas and ice covering dust grains in dynamic conditions of young protoplanetary discs, including the exposure to a bright luminosity outburst and interaction of evolving dust grains and their volatile ice mantles with gas.

After my PhD, I continued to work on simulations of chemical composition of protoplanetary discs, with more focus on dust grain growth and properties of icy mantles on their surface. I studied various effects of luminosity outbursts on dust and gas properties in protoplanetary discs, and on possible observable features that such outbursts could produce.

Research interests

I study chemical composition of gas and dust in protoplanetary discs, with a particular focus on the connection between chemistry, dust evolution, and planet formation theories. To do this, I simulate chemical composition of gas and ice in the environments where planets should be forming. Such simulations help to understand the conditions in protoplanetary discs and can be used to make observable predictions or to interpret the observed molecular emission. The goal is to understand the formation of planets using various molecular tracers this process might leave in protoplanetary discs.

Qualifications

• PhD in Astrophysics, Institute of Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences
• MSc in Applied Mathematics and Physics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology