Synopsis:
The origin of the solar system and the emergence of life are themes central to forefront research in modern astrophysics. I will give a brief overview of the observational efforts in this direction, including our current understanding in how a star is born and the implication of this process for the resulting planetary system.
BIO
Dr Deirdre Coffey is Associate Professor at the UCD School of Physics. She earned her PhD at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS). Her post-doc experience was at Arcetri Observatory in Florence, Italy. She is National Program Manager for the European Space Agency’s upcoming space mission ‘Ariel’ to probe exoplanet atmospheres. She is the current Chair of the Astronomical Society of Ireland, and a committee member of the Royal Irish Academy’s Physical, Chemical and Mathematical Sciences Committee.