A Chemistry Professor at UNBC has joined a major space organization.

Dr. Margot Mandy was named to the International Astronomical Union in recognition of her theoretical research in astrochemistry.

“I was a bit surprised by the nomination. When I was first approached, I had to make it clear I’m a chemist” said Dr. Mandy. “The people doing the nomination were aware of my research activity on interstellar hydrogen.”

The International Astronomical Union brings together the worlds leading astronomers to promote cooperation in scientific research to answer important questions in the field.

“No one discipline has all the answers” said Dr. Mandy. “What may seem to be a very challenging problem in one area, it may turn out that people working in another area have already got the tools in place to address that problem.”

Dr. Mandy joined the faculty at UNBC in 1994. Since then, her research has focused on molecular collisions in space, using the university’s High Performance Computing Facility to run simulations.