SEEC - Research - Exoplanet Observations
planet on a black background orbiting a star.

Exoplanet Observations

It was only a few decades ago that the first exoplanets were discovered. Now, we’ve observed thousands of them and predict there are billions more. Few would have imagined the variety of worlds we would find out there: Jupiter-type gaseous exoplanets closer to their stars than our innermost planet Mercury; rocky worlds much more massive than Earth, possibly covered in global oceans; and exoplanets that orbit their stars in only a handful of hours. To learn details about these worlds, SEEC scientists participate in current missions, such as NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, and are designing new mission concepts that will advance exoplanet science.


Using TESS to Illuminate the Atmospheric Properties of the Hot, Puffy Saturn KELT-11b

Investigators: Knicole Colon, Tom Barclay, Eric Lopez, Avi Mandell, John Ahlers, Emily Gilbert


Advancing the retrieval capabilities of PSG for exoplanets with AI and Machine Learning

Investigators: Geronimo L. Villanueva, Giuliano Liuzzi,


Planet Patrol: Finding TESS Planets through Citizen Science

Investigators: Marc Kuchner, Veselin Kostov, Elisa Quintana


Revealing exoplanet atmospheres using high-resolution ground-based spectroscopy

Investigators: Geronimo Villanueva, Vincent Kofman, Richard Cosentino


Tightening the Spin-Orbit Alignment Demographics of Hot Jupiters

Investigators: Knicole Colon, John Ahlers


Atmospheric Characterization of the K-dwarf Multiplanetary System TOI-178

Investigators: Dana Louie, Knicole Colón, Geronimo Villanueva


Forming Habitable Earths – Is Jupiter a Friend or Foe?

Investigators: Thomas Barclay, Knicole Colón, Robert Wilson, Paul Bonney


Synergy Between Ground and Space -based Observatories to Optimize Exoplanet Atmospheric Characterization

Investigators: Thomas Fauchez, Geronimo Villanueva, Vincent Kofman


The Roadmap to Life Elsewhere: Optimizing a Biosignature Decision Tree Search Strategy for Earth-like Exoplanet Characterization

Investigators: Amber Young, Shawn Domagal-Goldman, Giada Arney, Jaime Crouse


Extending The Habitable Worlds Observatory Preliminary Input Catalog

Investigators: Noah Tuchow, Chris Stark, Vlad Airapetian


Modeling Near IR (NIR) Auroral Emission from a mini-Neptune Around Young Solar Analog DS Tuc A in Preparation for JWST

Investigators: Vlad Airapetian, Avi Mandell, Suk-Bin Kang, Laura Vega