Regents Professor Lucy M. Ziurys works in the interdisciplinary field of astrochemistry, where she combines high-resolution laboratory spectroscopy with radio and millimeter molecular observations. Her main goals are to understand the molecular life cycle in the interstellar medium (ISM) from dying stars to cloud/disk formation, the chemistry of phosphorus, iron, and other refractory elements in the ISM, and the contribution of these molecules to the origin of life. The laboratory work concerns the measurement of unstable species of astrophysical interest, with instrumentation designed and built in the Ziurys group. The observational studies involve both single-dish spectroscopy and imaging, with a focus on evolved stars (asymptotic giant branch and hypergiants), planetary nebulae, and molecular clouds. Studies of the CNO isotopes in these objects are also conducted to gain insight into nucleosynthesis and Galactic Chemical Evolution. Dr. Ziurys is also involved in new instrumentation for the Arizona Radio Observatory.