My story

When I was 18, I chose to study geology. My main incentive was my fascination for space and planets. Not the calculations and physics behind them, but the processes that created and occur on these diverse worlds. Geology turned out the best option to combine different branches of science like chemistry, physics and biology to understand the world and beyond.

Three years in, I hadn’t learned that much about space and other planets yet, but I had an increasing knowledge about planet Earth and processes like plate tectonics, volcanism, and other geological principles. I continued with a bachelor project on lake sediments from Nepal in an attempt to understand the local earthquake history, with potential prospects on predicting the future of earthquakes in this area.

My first master year I spent in Tromsø, Norway, where I fell in love with the north. I still return to Lapland every year. This was also the first step in expanding my world view and independence. I got to know many new people, learned new skills, both professionally and personally and most of all, I got to know myself a lot better. During this year, micrometeorites came across my path for the first time in the list of master thesis topics . I knew immediately that topic would be mine. I continued with my second master year under the guidance of Steven Goderis and Philippe Claeys as I entered the intriguing world of meteorites and micrometeorites. After finishing my masters at the top of my class, I continued working with Steven and Philippe, as a PhD student. Today, I am working as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

My focus remains on extraterrestrial material. We aim to understand the origin and journey of (fossil) micrometeorites within the early Solar System and their contribution to a young Earth. Micrometeorites represent the largest extra-terrestrial mass contribution to our planet and contain a wealth of prebiotic molecules. Their key importance is marked by their continuous downpour during the era that was essential to set the stages for the origin of life.