Pamela Freeman

Astrophysics PhD | Science Communicator

Hi! I’m Pamela. I’m a radio astronomer and science communicator who recently finished a PhD at the University of Calgary in Canada. I am now a postdoctoral researcher at the Instituto de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica in Mexico.

In my PhD, I studied the carbon chain chemistry of star-forming regions with Dr. René Plume. I used single-dish telescopes to map three regions towards Cygnus X, using wide frequency ranges to collect spectral lines of numerous molecules. The detection and modelling of these spectral lines reveals the physical environment and chemical evolution of these regions—read more on my research page. Overall, the chemical makeup of gas clouds in the interstellar medium leads directly into that of planets and formed star systems, and so studying this chemical complexity during star formation is an invaluable link between interstellar conditions and planetary conditions.

Aside from research, I have been heavily involved with the Physics and Astronomy Departmental Graduate Association (PHAS DGA) at U of C, and the Canadian Astronomical Society’s Graduate Student Committee. I also engaged in scientific outreach and completed a science communication internship at the European Southern Observatory—see my work on my Writing and Communication page.

You can find my full CV here.