Her primary research interest is atmospheric chemistry, particularly the complex organic chemistry occurring in the atmosphere or on the surface of bodies in the solar system. Previously, Hörst was a National Science Foundation Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Colorado. She is a recipient of the Gerard P. Kuiper Memorial Award from the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona. She has a bachelor’s degree in planetary science and literature from the California Institute of Technology. She earned her Ph.D. in planetary science from the University of Arizona.