I am interested in the characterization of exoplanetary atmospheres, surfaces, and interiors through transmission, emission, and reflected light spectroscopy. I primarily work in observation and data reduction, but I dabble in theory work now and again. My dissertation research is centered on the exospheres and upper atmospheres of exoplanets through ultraviolet-optical transmission spectroscopy. I have approached this topic through two very different routes: gas giant aerosols and volcanic rocky world exospheres.
I study the aerosols of gas giant exoplanets primarily through the Hubble Ultraviolet-optical Survey of Transiting Exoplanets (HUSTLE) treasury program. We aim to characterize the clouds, hazes, and photochemistry of hot Jupiters through ultraviolet-optical transmission spectroscopy, which is a sensitive probe of scattering by small cloud and haze particulates in the strato- and thermospheres of gas giants. Our work makes use of the previously-overlooked HST WFC3/UVIS G280 observing mode, which has a high throughput spanning 200-800 nm and is thus a powerful means by which to characterize exoplanetary upper atmospheres. To encourage more of our colleagues to use this instrument, we are also developing the open-source and user-friendly G280 pipeline HUSTLE-tools, a one-stop shop for 1D spectral extraction from G280 time-series observations.
On the smaller side of things, I work to connect the interior conditions and compositions of terrestrial exoplanets to their exospheres by extending the physics of the Jupiter-Io system to generic star-planet systems. Io's extensive volcanism pours tons of ionized sulfur and oxygen into Jupiter's magnetosphere, which traps the escaped ions in a corotating plasma torus. An analogous star-planet system featuring a volcanically-outgassing rocky exoplanet orbiting just a few stellar radii away from its magnetic host star may also be able to construct a corotating plasma torus. I have been working with Darryl Seligman at Michigan State University to develop a model that connects the composition and rate of volcanic outgassing back to measurable contamination of the host star's spectrum by the hypothetical plasma torus. As we further our understanding of this process, we open a new avenue towards characterizing the interior composition of unresolved rocky exoplanets in a way that is otherwise only accessible after destruction of the planet by tidal forces.
Outside of the ultraviolet-optical, I also work on exoplanet characterization in the infrared with JWST, for which I am also developing the Juniper data reduction pipeline. I have applied Juniper to the reduction of transits of the white dwarf-orbiting gas giant WD 1856+534b (JWST-GO 2358, PI: Ryan MacDonald) and of TRAPPIST-1 b and e (JWST-GO 6456 and JWST-GO 9256, PIs: Natalie Allen and Nestor Espinoza).
See all of my published works on NASA ADS!
Check out the Software tab to learn more about software I've developed for research applications!