Date: Thursday, January 28, 2021
Time: 10:00 am

Virtual Lecture Series: Imaging Planet Formation

Thursday, January 28, 2021 | 10:00 am
Steph Sallum, Assistant Professor, UCI Physics & Astronomy
Event Details

 

Observations of exoplanets, planets orbiting stars other than our own sun, have revolutionized planet formation studies, allowing us to test and refine theoretical predictions. Nailing down the details of how planets form and evolve requires directly imaging and characterizing planets with a wide range of properties and ages - including planets that are still in the process of forming. Prof. Sallum will discuss her work studying planet formation using the world’s largest telescopes, as well as planning for future exoplanet science with next-generation instruments and observatories.

About the Speaker

Professor Stephanie Sallum is an Assistant Professor in the department of Physics and Astronomy. She studies planet formation by imaging the close-in regions around nearby young stars using world class observational facilities. This enables her to search for and characterize young and forming planets, and also to characterize the disks of dust and gas that remain after the star formation process. She is also actively involved in developing new instruments for existing telescopes and for the next generation of Extremely Large Telescopes. These will give us an unprecedented view of how planets form and evolve.

Dr. Sallum received her B.S. in Physics, and Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Science from MIT, and her Ph.D. in Astronomy and Astrophysics from the University of Arizona. Before joining the UCI faculty in 2020, she was an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow and UC Chancellor’s Fellow at UC Santa Cruz.