Personal Story
Published in the RSAA Lunations
Vol1 Issue59 1–28 February 2025
Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under star,
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar. (part of the walking-song by J.R.R. Tolkien, fictionally written by Bilbo Baggins)
Servus everyone, I’m Melanie, a newly (re-)arrived DECRA fellow and faculty member. For the last three years, I worked as a fellow at the European Southern Observatory’s headquarters in Garching by Munich. Before that, I undertook my doctoral degree in the picturesque German city of Heidelberg, at another amazing institute on top of a hill (at the MPIA, on “the King’s chair”). And before all that, I was a Master’s student here at Stromlo. I guess that in some sense I have come full circle, although I have really come 540 degrees, having been born in Germany (and grown up in Australia). I now have many “homes”, but Canberra – especially Stromlo – has always been a particularly magical one and I am grateful to have been welcomed back.
Like many of you at Stromlo, I study how galaxies evolve by probing how star formation impacts their composition, structure, and dynamics. Most of my work has focused on the cold interstellar medium (ISM), out of which stars form. To study this cold gas and dust, I rely on both observations and simulations. On the observational side, I have made extensive use of ALMA, which (as the picture shows) I’m super excited about. You should be too! I’m even more excited now, as PI of a new ALMA large program called CONDOR, and as contributor to several other ALMA-centric efforts to study z=1–3 galaxies. Although most of my research focuses on galaxies in that epoch (i.e. Cosmic Noon), I also study galaxies at earlier times. I recently followed up a potential z=13 candidate (spoiler alert: it’s actually at z~4) and have been studying the cold ISM of quasar host galaxies at z>6.
I was drawn to astronomy from an early age (I remember seeing the solar eclipse as a toddler in Munich). The vastness of the Universe was a form of escape, and I found it incredible that this vastness could be decipherable to us, as tiny blips in the cosmos. Despite my interest in it, I did not consider astronomy as a career until I was already doing it. My first love was always outdoor endurance sports; as a teenager I was sure I would become a professional triathlete. I switched focus to trail running while living in Canberra and Heidelberg (both of which are surrounded by beautiful forest-covered hills) and developed a love for mountain-based activities (mainly climbing and hiking) while living close to the Alps.
My sports obsession is balanced by my obsession with food, all cuisines included. Thanks to my former housemates, my repertoire includes Persian, Indian, and Georgian food. I can talk about food for hours and love to cook/bake for others, although I’m a bit of a perfectionist. If parallel Universes exist, there’s definitely one in which I’m a food critic. In saying that, please don’t be shy in sharing your tips for Canberra’s best pubs, restaurants, and brunch spots! – What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? (Pippin, in the Fellowship of the Ring)
Melanie Kaasinen
Image: Melanie pretending to be antenna 67 of ALMA, collecting that faint CO emission
