Planetesimal formation
Planets begin as dust grains in a gas disk around a young star. Through processes such as the streaming instability, pebbles concentrate and collapse into planetesimals, the kilometre-sized building blocks of planets. We study how disk conditions set the number, sizes and locations of planetesimals, and develop probabilistic models that capture the variability of these outcomes.
Planetary accretion and giant impacts
Planetesimals and planetary embryos grow through collisions and gravitational interactions over millions of years. We model this late stage of terrestrial planet formation with N-body and hydrodynamic simulations, with particular attention to realistic collision outcomes and the delivery and retention of water.
Planets in binary and multiple star systems
Most stars form in binaries. We study where planets can form and remain stable around one or both stars, how binary companions shape planet-forming disks, and how such planets can be detected with missions such as Kepler and TESS.
Dynamics, stability and habitability
We study the long-term orbital evolution of planetary systems, the stability of multi-planet and circumbinary systems, and the conditions that allow habitable planets to form.
Machine learning for planet formation
Simulations of planet formation are expensive, and their connection to observations is complex. We develop machine-learning methods such as emulators, graph-based models of interacting bodies and simulation-based inference that make these models faster and allow them to be tested directly against data.
Draft text for review. To be revised with the institute's director.