Tommaso Grassi receives AG Software Award

The German Astronomical Society (AG) has awarded MPE scientist Dr. Tommaso Grassi with the Astrophysical Software Award for the development of the astrochemistry package KROME. The award ceremony will take place at the University of Bremen during the annual AG meeting from 12th to 16th of September 2022.

KROME is an open-source code that was developed to include chemistry and thermal processes in numerical hydrodynamical simulations to properly describe the thermal evolution of gas. It is a key tool to study, among others, star-forming regions, galaxy evolution, black hole formation, and complex chemical pathways. In addition it allows to compare simulations with observational data of atomic or molecular lines. KROME can model any chemical network for which the reaction rates are known, and includes modules to incorporate dust physics.

Grassi works as a scientist in the Center for Astrochemical Studies led by director Paola Caselli. He receives the Award together with Dr. Stefano Bovino from the Department of Astronomy at the Universidad de Concepción in Chile. Explaining their decision, the jury emphasized that the development of KROME has expanded the possibilities for modelling thermochemistry in astrophysical simulations. It has contributed to significant advances in astrophysical knowledge and to the education of students and postdocs in astrochemistry. The prize will be awarded during the annual meeting of the German Astronomical Society from 12th to 16th of September at the University of Bremen.