Gabi Wenzel wins 2026 Laboratory Astrophysics Division Early Career Award
The LAD Early Career Award is given to an individual who has made significant contributions to the field within 10 years of receiving their Ph.D.
Dr. Gabi Wenzel, a Research Scientist in the laboratory of Professor Brett McGuire, has been named the recipient of the 2026 LAD Early Career Award from the American Astronomical Society’s Laboratory Astrophysics Division (LAD). This award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the field within 10 years of earning their Ph.D.
Wenzel was selected for her transformative discoveries of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules in the interstellar medium, achieved through high-resolution microwave spectroscopy and radioastronomical observations.
“I’m deeply honored to receive the LAD Early Career Award,” said Wenzel. “It’s a meaningful recognition of our work on identifying individual PAHs in space. This award is a huge motivation for us to keep pushing the limits of what we can measure in the laboratory and detect in space as we explore how organic molecules evolve chemically in dense clouds and set the stage for the birth of stars and planets.”
Wenzel investigates the molecular complexity of interstellar carbon using high-resolution laboratory spectroscopy alongside astronomical observations. Her research focuses on identifying and characterizing PAHs and related complex organic molecules in the coldest regions of space. By integrating custom-built rotational spectrometers with observations from the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT), she uncovers the chemical composition of dense molecular clouds and the pathways through which complex cosmic carbon becomes incorporated into emerging stars and planetary systems.
