Koo is now a PhD candidate with Dr. Guðmundur Stefánsson at the Anton Pannekoek Institute. Her master’s thesis, titled ‘ALMA Observations of the Red Rectangle Nebula – Searching for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons’, reports on the search for the organic molecule corannulene (C20H10), in ALMA observations of a well-known planetary nebula. The sought-after molecule was not found, but Koo managed to determine an upper limit for its detection. She also calculated the photo-dissociation speed, the rate at which a molecule may disintegrate under the influence of light. For this work she was advised by Dr. Alessandra Candian and Prof. Michiel Hogerheijde.

The prize was awarded on 25 November. More information about this event including an interview with Koo is available on the website of the KHMW.

Koo also won the Anton Pannekoek Institute’s Master’s Thesis Prize and the Thesis Presentation prize. The latter was shared with Ciarán Furey.