Exoplanet Seminars
The weekly seminars (on Tuesdays) focus on exoplanet-related science. These meetings gather researchers working on an exoplanet-related field (theory and observations) from several departments at the University.
Meetings usually take place in the Ryle seminar room in the Kavli Institute. They start at 13:00 and end around 14:00. As talks are usually 40-min long with ample time for discussion.
For further details and a list of past seminars organised by the Centre, please visit Talks.cam
List of Seminars by Term
7 October 2025
Professor Tad Komacek (Oxford)
Clouds across exoplanetary regimes: from hot gas giants to habitable rocky exoplanets
Explored the role of atmospheric clouds across diverse exoplanet populations, examining their influence on climate, observability, and habitability from highly irradiated giant planets to potentially habitable terrestrial worlds.
14 October 2025
Professor Ben Zuckerman
The Nature of Rocky Exoplanets Via Study of White Dwarf Stars
Presented how polluted white dwarf atmospheres provide unique constraints on the compositions of destroyed rocky exoplanets, offering insight into planetary interiors and geochemistry.
21 October 2025
Professor Yann Alibert (University of Bern)
The architecture of planetary systems: from physical models to AI
Discussed modern approaches to understanding planetary-system formation through a combination of theoretical modelling, population synthesis, and machine-learning techniques.
28 October 2025
Professor Hilke Schlichting (UCLA)
Atmospheres as Probes of the Interiors and Formation Pathways of Earth, Super-Earths and Sub-Neptunes
Demonstrated how atmospheric measurements can reveal information about planetary interiors, volatile inventories, and formation histories.
4 November 2025
Dr Paula Izquierdo (Warwick)
White dwarfs as tracers of evolved planetary systems
Examined how white dwarf systems can be used to study the long-term evolution and ultimate fate of planetary systems.
13 November 2025
Dr Tim Pearce (Warwick)
How massive are exo-Kuiper Belts?
Presented work investigating debris belts around other stars and what they reveal about the distribution of planetary material and system evolution.
18 November 2025
Hiba tu Noor (UCL)
The Restless Afterlife of Planetary Systems
Discussed the dynamical and observational signatures of planetary systems after their host stars leave the main sequence.
25 November 2025
Dr Pia Cortes Zuleta (St Andrews)
The challenge of stellar activity in the era of PLATO
Explored the impact of stellar variability on exoplanet detection and characterization, particularly in preparation for ESA's PLATO mission.
2 December 2025
Robb Calder (Cambridge)
Most Rocky Sub-Neptunes are Molten: Mapping the Solidification Shoreline for Gas Dwarf Exoplanets
Investigated thermal evolution and interior states of sub-Neptune planets, identifying conditions under which rocky interiors remain molten.
20 January 2026
Alice Somigliana (MPIA)
The time evolution of disc properties as a proxy for accretion models
Addressed the evolution of protoplanetary discs and implications for theories of accretion and planet formation.
3 February 2026
Theresa Drobnik (Cavendish Laboratory)
Reducing the problem: Photochemical Pathways in Prebiotic Chemistry on Early Earth
Examined photochemical processes that may have contributed to the emergence of biologically relevant molecules on early Earth.
17 February 2026
George Dransfield (Oxford)
On the hunt for warm giants
Presented observational efforts to detect and characterize giant planets at intermediate orbital distances.
3 March 2026
Anne-Marie Lagrange (Observatoire de Paris)
Cold Giants in the Gaia Era and Multi-Technique Synergies
Showcased advances in detecting long-period giant planets through combinations of astrometry, imaging, and radial velocity methods.
17 March 2026
Sai Shruthi Murali (Cambridge)
When Error Bars Increase Confidence: Hydrogen Cyanide Hydrolysis and the Availability of Cyanide in Planetary Environments
Focused on prebiotic chemistry, uncertainty quantification, and the availability of key chemical precursors in planetary environments.
5 May 2026
Nathan Hara (Marseille)
A physics-based model of stellar activity for exoplanet detection and statistical Doppler imaging
Presented new techniques to model stellar activity and improve the reliability of radial-velocity planet detection.
26 May 2026
Professor Yamila Miguel (Leiden University)
Peering Inside Giant Planets: What the Solar System and JWST Are Teaching Us About Exoplanets
Discussed the internal structures of giant planets informed by Solar System measurements and new JWST observations.
9 June 2026
Erik Meier Valdes (Oxford)
A space-based photometric exploration of hot rocky exoplanets
Presented observational studies of short-period rocky planets using high-precision space photometry.
23 June 2026
Michelle Kunimoto (University of British Columbia)
The Missing and the Abundant: What Exoplanet Populations Are Really Telling Us
Explored what statistical properties of known exoplanets reveal about planet formation and evolution.
15 July 2026
Eric Gaidos (University of Hawai'i)
Water-Cooled Sub-Neptunes get Better Gas Mileage
Examined the effects of water-rich interiors and atmospheres on sub-Neptune evolution and atmospheric retention.
24 July 2026
Naman Bajaj (University of Arizona)
From Evolution to Dispersal: Mapping Disk Winds and Jets Across 72 Class I/II Systems with JWST/MIRI
Presented JWST/MIRI results probing winds, jets, and dispersal processes in young planetary systems.