Dr. Kasia Dutkowska

IPA: /'kaʃa du'tkɔfska/

Astrophysicist | Postdoctoral Researcher at Leiden Observatory

Astrochemistry, Star Formation, Interstellar Medium & Shocks

Who am I?
Hi, I’m Kasia—an astrophysicist by both passion and profession. I spend my days exploring the chemistry of our galaxy and beyond, blending observational data with modeling to unravel the secrets of the universe. In other words, I look at molecules to tell the story of cosmic environments—how they evolve, interact, and shape the universe.What am I doing?
Right now, I’m a postdoctoral researcher at Leiden Observatory, working in Prof. Serena Viti’s group. I’m one of the core developers and maintainers of UCLCHEM, focusing on gas-grain chemistry in extreme conditions. Lately, I’ve been particularly obsessed with the Central Molecular Zone of the Milky Way—a chaotic, turbulent, but incredibly exciting region that keeps challenging our understanding of interstellar chemistry.What was my PhD about?
During my PhD, I built galaxy-in-a-box, a Python-based model designed to predict molecular emissions from star-forming galaxies. The goal? To capture the signatures of ongoing star formation using fundamental astrophysical principles—without the heavy computational costs of MHD simulations. It’s a tool that bridges the gap between observation and theory, helping us interpret the chemistry of galaxies in a practical and accessible way.Scientific interests
I’m fascinated by the interstellar and circumgalactic medium—the vast, dynamic environments where stars are born, live, and die. The universe is a complex web of interactions, and molecules are its messengers. By studying them, we can trace the physical conditions, histories, and evolution of different regions in space.Is there more to the story?
Before astrophysics, I had a completely different dream: filmmaking. I studied film in London, aiming to become a director. But something felt off—it wasn’t the right fit. I took a step back, reflected, and realized that my true passion had always been science. Growing up, becoming an astrophysicist seemed like an impossible dream, especially as a first-generation academic. But I took the leap, applied to an astronomy program, and eventually earned my PhD in astrophysics from the University of Copenhagen. Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing.Outside work
My love for the arts never faded. I’m an avid street and urban photographer, and my work has appeared on album covers, articles, and promotional materials. Some big names—Samsung, Polaroid, and the Danish Architecture Centre—have even shared my photos. Music is another passion, and I still daydream about becoming a DJ someday. Beyond that, I practice mindfulness and advocate for mental health, trying to make space for both the vastness of the cosmos and the depths of human experience.

The galaxy-in-a-box model

Modern astrophysics still has to answer many fundamental questions about star formation, its universality, and the changing conditions of the interstellar medium over cosmic time. Developing tools and methods to compare star formation and molecular emission across different galaxies is crucial in addressing these questions. This is why I created the galaxy-in-a-box model. What is this model, and how does it work?It's a model simulating emission from active star-forming regions in a galaxy. The advantage of the model is that it is both a top- and bottom-level astrophysical tool. What does it mean? As a top-level simulating tool, the galaxy-a-box model is deeply rooted in observations of star-forming regions, and the assignment of emission relies on what and where we observe. But, as a bottom-level tool, the model utilizes known star formation laws and relations, uses individual protostars as the smallest building blocks, and helps to confront our expectations from rules governing the star formation process with observational signposts.An in-depth description of the model can be found in my first publication K. M. Dutkowska & L. E. Kristensen 2022, A&A, 667, A135 (DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202243235). Further study where the model outcomes were compared with observational data and literature relations was a subject of my second publication K. M. Dutkowska & L. E. Kristensen 2023, A&A, 674, A95. This is where you can also find a description of new features of the model, providing a complete overview of its current state.

UCLCHEM development

UCLCHEM is a gas-grain chemical code for astrochemical modeling. The code solves the coupled system of ODEs that represents the chemical network using the rate equation method of modeling chemistry. With UCLCHEM we can build a molecular cloud with given properties and then model more complicated astrophysical structures, e.g., hot cores or shocks. For more information on UCLCHEM, I refer you to its official website.Currently, I am working on developing newer parametrizations of J- and C-type shocks in UCLCHEM to improve our predictions and analyses of observations, taking into account dust-related nuances and expanded pathways of SiO formation.

Shock modelling

Shocks are commonly found in interstellar and circumgalactic medium. During star formation, they are produced by protostellar outflows and jets which convert kinetic energy into magnetic and thermal energy and lead to extensive chemical processing of the surrounding medium. Typically, the stronger the outflows and jets, the younger the protostar, making shocks an excellent diagnostic of the star formation process.I used the Paris-Durham shock code to investigate the source of water emission. In our galaxy, water typically comes from shocked areas around forming stars. I examined shocked models for various pre-shock conditions and shock properties and prepared the radiative transfer code to model water emission. This project was a collaboration with researchers from ENS in Paris and NBI in Copenhagen. While the results have not been published outside of my Ph.D. thesis, I am happy to discuss them with anyone interested.

Water Emission Database

Over the past few years, numerous projects have observed water emissions towards Galactic and extragalactic regions. By consolidating all of this data into one place, the Water Emission Database provides a comprehensive framework for astrochemical studies. For further information, please visit the following website.

Education and employment

[03/23-02/26] Postdoctoral Researcher
Institute: Leiden Observatory, Leiden University
Location: Leiden, The Netherlands
Supervisor: Serena Viti[09/22-12/22] Research Assistant
Institute: Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Supervisor: Lars E. Kristensen[09/19-12/22] Ph.D. (in Astrophysics)
Institute: Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Thesis: Tracing star formation at high redshift using the Milky Way as a template
Supervisor: Lars Egstrøm Kristensen;
Defence date: March 21st, 2023[10/17-08/19] M.Sc. (in Astronomy)
Institute: Nicolaus Copernicus University
Location: Toruń, Poland
Thesis: Cluster-in-a-box: understanding how low-mass stars form in high-mass clusters using 338.4 GHz methanol emission as an outflow tracer
Supervisor: Agata Karska, Lars Egstrøm Kristensen (co-supervisor);
Defence date: August 12th, 2019[10/14-07/17] B.Sc. (in Astronomy, Physics and Computer Usage)
Institute: Nicolaus Copernicus University
Location: Toruń, Poland
Thesis: Searching for correlations between parameters of planetary nebulae and their central stars
Supervisor: Krzysztof Gęsicki;
Defence date: July 27th, 2017

Awards and Honors

[2019] Scholarship of the Minister of Science and Higher Education for outstanding achievements
Awarded by: the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland.

Science projects and proposals

[09/23-] ALMA CMZ Exploration Survey (ACES)
Type: Project
Role: Investigator (chemical modeling)
PI: Steve Longmore[03/23-] MOlecules as Probes of the Physics of EXternal galaxies (MOPPEX)
Type: Project
Role: Postdoctoral researcher
PI: Prof. Serena Viti[09/19-12/22] Unraveling the complex chemistry of star-forming regions
Type: Project
Role: Ph.D. fellow and research assistant
PI: Dr. Lars E. Kristensen[03/21] Unravelling low-mass protostars in a dense high-mass cluster
Type: Proposal
Role: PI
Note: Scientific observations with Submillimeter Array in block 2021A; cancelled due to COVID-19[01/18-09/18] The impact of physical and chemical conditions on the star formation process: identification and characterization of young stellar objects in the Outer Galaxy
Type: Project
Role: student research assistant
PI: Dr. Marta Sewiło[06/17-09/18] Impact of the UV radiation on early star formation stages
Type: Project
Role: student research assistant
PI: Dr. Agata Karska

Teaching experience

[2024] Supervisor during the Leiden/ESA Astrophysics Program for Summer Students (LEAPS)
Project title: Decoding chemistry within extragalactic star-forming regions
Institute: Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands[2021/2022] Co-supervisor of a B.Sc. thesis
Thesis title: Mass Distributions of Stars and Clusters in Galaxies
Institute: Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark[2021/2022] TA during a B.Sc. course
Course: Introduction to Computing for Physicists [hybrid]
Institute: Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark[2020/2021] TA during a B.Sc. course
Course: Experimental Physics [F2F]
Institute: Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark[2019/2020] TA during a M.Sc. course
Course: The Interstellar Medium and Formation of Stars [online]
Institute: Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

Talks

2024
Cosmic rays 3: the salt of the star formation recipe
Where: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Arcetri, Italy
Title: Lessons from the Galactic Center: Chemistry Under Extreme ConditionsThe ALMA CMZ Exploration Survey Meeting 2024
Where: European Southern Observatory, Garching bei München, Germany
Title: Modeling the CMZ: Protostellar heating and c-shocks in the Galactic centerRaising the veil on star formation near and far
Where: the Kavli Institute for Cosmology, Cambridge, England
Title: Decoding Galactic Chemistry: Insights from the Central Molecular Zone2022
Annual Danish Astronomy Meeting
Where: Fredericia, Denmark
Title: Star formation through Cosmic history: from the perspective of a Milky Way inhabitantStarPlan Science Day
Where: Copenhagen, Denmark
Title: Star formation: a Galactic view2021
StarPlan Science Day
Where: Copenhagen, Denmark
Title: What is in the box?2018
Astronomy Students' Associations Conference
Where: Wrocław, Poland
Title: Basics of astrochemistryNational Astronomy Students' Seminar
Where: Toruń, Poland
Title: Infrared and maser emission associated with low mass protostars48th Young European Radio Astronomers Conference (YERAC)
Where: Dwingeloo, Netherlands
Title: Infrared and 22 GHz water emission associated with a Sun-like protostarAstronomy Students' Associations Conference
Where: Kraków, Poland
Title: Hawaiian observations

Posters

2022
Niels Bohr Gold Medal Symposium in Astrochemistry
Where: Copenhagen, Denmark
Title: Star formation through cosmic history
Authors: Dutkowska, K. M. & Kristensen, L. E.European Astronomical Society Annual Meeting
Where: Valencia, Spain
Title: Star formation through cosmic history: from the viewpoint of a Milky Way inhabitant
Authors: Dutkowska, K. M. & Kristensen, L. E.Annual Danish Astronomy Meeting
Where: Fredericia, Denmark
Title: Modeling molecular emission to uncover the mass distribution of forming stars
Authors: Rashdan, O., Dutkowska, K. M. & Kristensen, L. E.European Astronomical Society Annual Meeting
Where: online conference
Title: Galaxy-in-a-box: unveiling star formation across cosmic time
Authors: Dutkowska, K. M. & Kristensen, L. E.2021
Annual Danish Astronomy Meeting
Where: online conference
Title: Galaxy-in-a-box: linking Galactic and extragalactic star formation
Authors: Dutkowska, K. M. & Kristensen, L. E.2020
Physique et Chimie du Milieu Interstellaire
Where: Le Havre, France
Title: Linking Galactic and extragalactic star formation through water emission
Authors: Dutkowska, K. M., Kristensen, L. E. & Bergin, E. A.2018
XXXth General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union
Where: Vienna, Austria
Title: Strongly variable water maser associated with a Sun-like protostar
Authors: Dutkowska, K. M., Karska, A., Olech M., Wolak, P. & Gawroński, M.Prebiotic Molecules in Space and Origins of Life on Earth
Where: Bad Honnef, Germany
Title: Peculiar H2O maser in a solar-type protostar L1448 IRS 2
Authors: Dutkowska, K. M., Karska, A., Olech M., Wolak, P. & Gawroński, M.2017
Astronomy Students' Associations Conference
Where: Warsaw, Poland
Title: Astrochemistry: then and now
Authors: Dutkowska, K. M. & Żółtowski, M.

Workshops and internships

[04/2023] Introduction to Fortran
Type: Online course[10/2022] Signatures of AGN Feedback: The Post-SOFIA Era
Type: Online workshop[07/2022] Ph.D. research exchange visit
Where: Département de Physique de l'Ecole Normale supérieure, Paris, France[06/2022] The Interstellar Shocks School
Type: Workshop
Where: Les Houches, France[06/2021] Virtual OPTICON Archival School using ESO and ALMA data
Type: Online school[03/2021] The Ultimate MySQL Bootcamp: Go from SQL Beginner to Expert
Type: Online bootcamp[03/2021] 2021 SMA Interferometry School
Type: Online school[12/2020] Scientific Writing in Astro
Type: Online workshop[03/2018] Student exchange visit
Where: Research institutes in Munich - Garching, Germany[07/2017] Summer student internship (solar flares observations with the largest coronagraph in the world and night sky observations with a Cassegrain telescope)
Where: Astronomical Observatory of the University of Wrocław, Białków, Poland[06/2016] Python and astro-statistics
Type: Workshop
Where: Toruń, Poland

Community Service

[2023-2026] Member of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committee
Where: Leiden Observatory, Leiden University[2023-2025] LEAPS committee member
Where: Leiden Observatory, Leiden University[2023-2025] Co-organizer of the EDI journal club
Where: Leiden Observatory, Leiden University[2024] Chair of the "Astrochemistry and Planetary Science" session during LAS2024 conference
Where: online, conference page[2022] Volunteer (technical support)
Event: Niels Bohr Gold Medal Symposium in Astrochemistry
Where: Copenhagen, Denmark[2019-2022] Organizer of an institutional journal club dedicated to integrating research across the fields of astrochemistry, cosmochemistry, theoretical astrophysics, and computational astrophysics.
Where: StarPlan, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen[2018] Volunteer (front-desk member, microphone duties during discussion panels, technical support)
Event: XXXth General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union
Where: Vienna, Austria[2018] Popular science articles
Journal: Polish daily newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza[2014-2018] Volunteer (e.g., educator in science parks, staff member during the "Girls for STEM" events)
Event: various popular science events requiring STEM students support
Where: Poland

Practical skills

Native language:
PolishOther languages:
English (fluent in reading, speaking, writing)Astronomical data processing environments:
CASA, CARTA, basic HIPE, and basic CLASSProgramming languages:
Python, SQL, Fortran, CSS, basic HTML, basic C, and basic C++