Charmi Bhatt

Western University

Charmi Bhatt (she/her) is a PhD student at Western University working with Prof. Jan Cami. Her research focuses on studying molecules in interstellar and circumstellar medium. She also works as an Outreach Coordinator at Cronyn Observatory on campus.

Since she was a kid, Charmi had a keen interest in collecting intriguing science facts and was always curious to unravel the workings of the world. Her passion for science naturally led her to aspire to become a scientist from an early age. Her interest in Astronomy grew when she was in high school and participated in a Science communication video challenge (called Breakthrough Junior Challenge). She made a video about how exoplanets are detected and in the process found herself completely captivated by the vast and intriguing world of astronomy. By that time, she was doing her BSc in physics In India and she started to apply to astronomy graduate school in Canada. Her eye was caught by molecular astrophysics this time. She got interested in one of the projects (offered by Prof. Jan Cami) about simulating absorption features of interstellar molecules. She got accepted into the MSc program at Western and moved to Canada in the fall of 2021. During her MSc, she worked on simulating the profiles of diffuse interstellar bands and she was amused by the capabilities of molecular spectroscopy. She was fascinated by how it can be used to study molecules and their lifecycle in space.

In 2023, she started her PhD in molecular astrophysics with Prof. Jan Cami. Currently, her research is centered on studying molecules surrounding evolved stars, utilizing the mid-infrared data from the James Webb Space Telescope. She is specifically focused on the molecular inventory and their formation pathways in the planetary nebula known as the butterfly nebula (NGC 6302). She is mainly focused on questions like:

What is the complete inventory of molecular species in evolved star environments?

How do these species form, evolve and get destroyed, and what drives the transformation into this molecular complexity?

What is the molecular physics behind the interaction of these species with their environment?

What is the role of these species for other astrophysical processes?

Charmi has wide interests outside astronomy research. She dedicates a significant amount of her time to Science Comminucation. She works as an Outreach Coordinator at Cronyn Observatory, on campus of Western. She gets to co-ordinate and deliver outreach programs tailored for school groups and youth clubs. Her favourite part of the job is to talk to kids about science and see their excited faces. She also loves operating the big telescope at the observatory and guide visitors to observe the night sky. She writes science blogs on her website (https://charmibhatt.com/) and produces science videos occasionally. She is an avid collector of space merchandise and enjoys designing websites and composing animations.