Anita Cochran
McDonald Observatory
Research Focus
About Anita
I have been studying the chemistry of comets and what that tells us about conditions in the early solar nebula since 1979. I started with low resolution optical spectroscopy to create a taxonomy of comets. I currently use high resolution optical spectroscopy to study details of the formation of the spectra and what it tells us about the ices and conditions in the early Solar System. I am also the Assistant Director of McDonald Observatory. As such, I schedule the telescopes, deal with infrastructure needs, am liaison between UT Austin and McDonald Observatory, etc. I also have served on the management councils for various national observatory facilities since 2007, currently for NOIRLab.
Education
Postdoc
McDonald Observatory, The University of Texas at Austin, 01/1982 - 12/1984
Ph.D.
Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin, 12/1982
Master's
Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin, 12/1978
Bachelor's
Physics, Cornell University, 05/1976
