Following the flow of molecular gas in the Galaxy

This project aims at determining the role of the Galactic environment on shaping the properties of molecular clouds and their star formation. This project will tackle this multi-scale process through the combination and exploitation of large Galactic plane surveys using molecular lines and continuum emission. The PhD student will be collating and handling datasets from multiple existing Galactic plane surveys to form a combined high-resolution view of the distribution of the molecular gas across the entire Galactic plane. From those, the student will analyse the physical properties and kinematics of the gas on molecular cloud scales, and explore how this varies as function of Galactic environment. The student will also be involved in the exploitation and acquisition of follow up ALMA data to study how the properties of the star-forming cores and clumps relate back to the properties of the parent molecular cloud. Important technical aspects of this project include coding (e.g. with Python) the tools required to handle and analyse large datasets, and using telescope-specific data-reduction software.