Ewine van Dishoeck, astronomer: โWe are the first generation who can bring the question of life on other planets from the realm of philosophy into real scienceโ

Astrochemist Ewine van Dishoeckโs laboratory is the universe, where chemical reactions take place that would be impossible on Earth. She calls herself a fan of interstellar dust and believes that as a woman, college was easier for her because โthe professors noticed you.โ Among her other honors, Van Dishoek won the Kavli Prize in astrophysics in 2018 โfor her combined contributions to observational, theoretical, and laboratory astrochemistry, elucidating the life cycle of interstellar clouds and the formation of stars and planets.โ
