Exploring outer space to find distant planets and understand their origin.
Our Research
We aim to discover and understand extrasolar planets, through pioneering detection studies, observations of their nebular birthplaces, modeling of their formation, and using the detection of small bodies in the outer Solar System to understand the origin of our own planetary system.
Research Staff
Alan P. Boss - Theoretical astrophysics; stellar and planetary system formation; extrasolar planets formation and detection
Paul Butler - Observational astrophysics; stellar spectroscopy; precision Doppler instrumentation; extrasolar planets; Sun-like stars; supergiants and Cepheid variable stars
John E. Chambers - Planetary formation theory; planetary dynamics; extrasolar planets
Scott S. Sheppard - Small bodies in the solar system including comets, asteroids, satellites, moons, Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud objects; star, planet and solar system formation; brown dwarfs.
Johanna Teske - Exoplanet interior, atmospheric, and host star composition; high-resolution spectroscopy; precision radial velocity exoplanet mass measurements; stellar jitter; interdisciplinary studies of exoplanet diversity; binary exoplanet host stars; astronomical instrumentation.
Alycia J. Weinberger - Observational astrophysics; planet formation and circumstellar disks; star formation; high angular resolution imaging
Technical Staff
Adriana Kuehnel - Scientific Programmer & IT Specialist
Postdoctoral Fellows and Associates
Tri Astraatmadja - Ph.D., Astroparticle Physics, Leiden University (2012)
Jaehan Bae - Ph.D., Astronomy, University of Michigan (2017)
Matthew Clement - Ph.D., Astrophysics, University of Oklahoma (2019)
Fabo Feng - Ph.D., Astronomy, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy & Heidelberg University (2015)
Yusuke Fujimoto - Ph.D., Astronomy, Hokkaido University (2016)
Tools of the Trade
Theoretical approaches utilize high-performance computing systems both on campus and the Carnegie Memex cluster.