Progressing planetary astrophysics through theory, simulation, and machine learning.
The questions we ask
Grains finer than sand gather into bodies kilometres across. We model how, and how often.
Giant impacts build planets and can strip their water. We trace where the water goes in each collision.
Many stars have a stellar companion. We map where planets around them stay stable for billions of years.
We build fast models, trained on simulations, that predict outcomes and state their own uncertainty.
The scale of the problem
No single simulation can follow planet formation from start to finish. Connecting the stages is the central challenge of the field, and the focus of our work.
Our approach
Analytical models that explain what simulations show, and predict where they should break.
N-body and hydrodynamic simulations of disks, collisions and orbital evolution.
Emulators and inference tools that make those simulations fast enough to test against observations.
Leadership
Planetary astrophysicist at the Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaiʻi, and Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute. Past President of IAU Division F (Planetary Systems and Astrobiology). Asteroid 10688 Haghighipour is named in his honor.
We welcome researchers, universities and observatories who share these goals.
