Dr Ingman is an experimental astrochemist working in the SubLIME Laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. In 2023, they completed their PhD at Sussex University, UK, which focused on using laboratory techniques to study interstellar ice analogues on dust grains at the low temperatures and pressures of space. This research used mass spectrometry and infrared spectroscopy to study the processing and desorption of ices comprised of a range of complex organic molecules in order to provide a deeper understanding of the diverse chemistry in astrophysical environments.
Before joining NASA GSFC, Dr Ingman was a postdoctoral researcher in the Habitability Laboratory at MSSL/UCL, UK. Using their knowledge of interstellar ices and their laboratory experience, an experiment was set up to study salty ices in order to test the detection capabilities of biosignatures in planetary surface materials using mid-infrared spectroscopy.
Currently, Dr Ingman is simulating interstellar and cometary ices in the SubLIME Laboratory with the aim to further constrain the complex chemistry of astrophysical environments such as the interstellar medium, comets and star forming regions. The focus of this work is to use sub-mm spectroscopy, the same technique as used for remote observations, to detect molecular species in the gas phase resulting from the UV photolysis and desorption of complex interstellar ice analogues.