NAI Scientist Louis Allamandola Receives 2015 Presidential Rank

On October 7, 2015, Louis Allamandola was given the Presidential Rank of Meritorious Senior Professional during the 2015 Presidental Rank and NASA Honor Awards Ceremony for Ames Research Center. The award is one of the highest honors granted by the US government.

Allamondola is the founder of the Astrophysics and Astrochemistry Laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center, and he is known for his revolutionary work creating laboratory settings that mimic conditions in deep space that have lead to increased understanding of the chemistry, composition and spectroscopy of interstellar matter, among many other discoveries. He has been a member of several NASA Astrobiology Institute teams, most recently with the NAI team at NASA Ames Research Center. His other awards and honors include the AAS Laboratory Astrophysics Prize in 2014, NASA Ames Fellow in 2012, and Presidential Rank in 2006.

More information about Allamondola’s work is available at: http://www.astrochem.org/bios/allamandola.php.