My research follows the formation of stars from their onset in molecular clouds to the creation of the first solids in protostellar disks. It emphasizes the role of protostellar jets in processing the surrounding primordial material of envelopes and its possible cycling into protostellar and protoplanetary disks. My studies predominantly employ spectroscopic observations in the infrared and submillimeter wavelengths from space (Spitzer, Herschel) and ground based facilities (ALMA, APEX, JCMT).
I am the PI of the JetPro* project funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), which aims to unravel the role of protostellar jets and outflows in the star-formation process. Launched in mid-2016, JetPro* has already produced a first coherent analysis on the feedback of atomic jets from embedded protostars within a star-forming region. Prior to my current project and as a member of Disc-Analysis (DIANA) project, I led the efforts to assemble a panchromatic dataset of 88 discs around T Tauri and Herbig Ae/Be stars. As a major result, we analyzed and interpreted the data in a systematic fashion using state-of-the-art continuum and line radiative transfer models. These datasets and models are currently being organized into an online database that will soon become available to the community.
Prior to my specialization in the field star-formation, I was involved in projects spanning from the ultraviolet spectroscopy of binary stars, astrometry and accurate optical photometry aiming in the detection of tidal streams from globular clusters. This effort has lead to the discovery of the longest known tidal stream surrounding our galaxy. The formation spans 63o on the sky and it is often referred to as the Grillmair – Dionatos stellar stream or GD-1 in the literature.