Pathways in Spectroscopy: Pursuing a Career as a Space Scientist

At the American Chemical Society (ACS) Fall 2026 Meeting, Pavithraa “Pavi” Sundararajan, a postdoctoral fellow at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Ames Research Center, delivered a talk titled, “Infrared Spectroscopy of Carbon Grains Formed from Nitrogen substituted Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Precursors Under Astrophysical Conditions: Implications for Space Return Samples.”¹ In her talk, Sundararajan discussed her investigation into cosmic carbon chemistry by studying nitrogen-substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (N-PAHs), which are more readily detectable than regular PAHs because of their larger dipole moment and are thought to help explain the long-puzzling aromatic infrared bands (AIBs) seen throughout space.¹ Using NASA Ames' COSmIC facility, her team synthesized carbon grains from N-PAH precursors under simulated astrophysical conditions and characterizes them through infrared micro-spectroscopy, optical constant measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy.¹

As part of our coverage of the ACS Fall 2026 Meeting, we sat down with Sundararajan for an exclusive interview. In the above “Pathways in Spectroscopy” video clip, Sundararajan discusses her career journey to become a specific scientist, highlighting how someone interested in space science can pursue that vocation.²

Spectroscopy: What motivated you to want to become a space scientist and how did your education shape your pursuit of a career in astrochemistry?

Pavi Sundararajan: Ever since I witnessed astronaut Kalpana Chawla's historic NASA space shuttle mission in 2003, I have been driven by passion for space science, and I was determined to become a scientist. So this ambition led me to pursue bachelor's and master's degree in physics in India, where I graduated with distinctions and received an endowment in physics from my college. So my specific interest lies in using spectroscopy to study the molecules that compose the celestial bodies, so this is my take as a physicist. So to pursue this, I was awarded the Outstanding New Student Scholarship at NCTU, Taiwan, where I conducted my doctoral research on large interstellar molecules using high-resolution infrared spectroscopic techniques, and successfully earned my doctorate in 2020, and that's how it all started. The more I dive into the molecular universe, the more I'm intrigued to perform experiments to shape our understanding.

You can view all our latest “Pathways in Spectroscopy” clips here: https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/news/pathways-in-spectroscopy

References

1. Sundararajan, P. Infrared Spectroscopy of Carbon Grains Formed from Nitrogen substituted Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Precursors Under Astrophysical Conditions: Implications for Space Return Samples. Presented at the American Chemical Society, Chicago, Illinois, August 26, 2026. Available at: https://acs.digitellinc.com/live/37/session/596644
2. Wetzel, W. Spectroscopy Announces Launch of Pathways in Spectroscopy Video Series. Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/spectroscopy-announces-launch-of-pathways-in-spectroscopy-video-series (accessed August 20^th, 2026).