Meet the Fellows Research Studying planet-hosting stars as cosmic threads to map how new worlds emerge across the Milky Way. Host University University of California, San Diego Year Awarded 2026 Website Professional Page Rayna Rampalli Ph.D. candidate, Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College Research Studying planet-hosting stars as cosmic threads to map how new worlds emerge across the Milky Way. Host University University of California, San Diego Year Awarded 2026 Website Professional Page “Stars are really a connective framework for me to understand how the planets that we study, the planet that we live on, and the solar system that we’re a part of, sit in the greater galactic context.”Rayna RampalliRayna Rampalli is a big-picture thinker. While she appreciates that there is much to learn from each individual star-planet system known, she’s also convinced that these cosmic bodies have more to tell us—particularly, as a huge collection cast across the galaxy’s vast landscape and multibillion-year history. Ms. Rampalli’s view of the universe has expanded over time. A visit to Arizona’s Kitt Peak Observatory sparked an early fascination with exoplanets that carried her through graduate school—and into planetary research alongside galactic archeologists, who were reconstructing the Milky Way’s history through stellar chemistry and motion. Along the way, she has contributed research on the field’s glass ceiling and advocated for the experiences of women and women of color in astronomy—and she brings this perspective into her scientific practice. Today, Ms. Rampalli’s research considers the galaxy as an active participant in world-building. By combining massive datasets from ground- and space-based stellar surveys, she has shown how the galaxy’s chemical and dynamical evolution drives patterns in star chemistry and the occurrence of planets, which were previously interpreted in isolation. Stars drift far from their birthplaces over time and the ingredients and dynamics that spawn stars vary widely—from the chemically rich center of the Milky Way to its sparse outer reaches. Understanding this diversity is essential for capturing the true nature of planetary systems. As a 51 Pegasi b Fellow, Ms. Rampalli will apply data-driven learning to build a comprehensive catalog of planets that links relevant chemical signals to their host stars’ galactic origins across the Milky Way. She will map how planetary systems vary across these environments, preparing a cohesive framework for understanding the next generation of discoveries. She will also conduct a targeted planet search around stars that migrated from the galactic center, testing her predictions about what kinds of worlds they host. Ms. Rampalli’s work arrives at a pivotal moment. Past missions like Kepler and TESS have surveyed limited regions of the sky and nearby stars. But upcoming missions, including the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, will discover planets toward the galactic center—entirely new territory that may be misinterpreted by models premised on conditions closer to home. Many of these endeavors probe questions about the galactic habitable zone—like whether our own location in the Milky Way is expected, unusual, or cosmic coincidence. For answers, Ms. Rampalli knows, we’ll need to see the whole picture.Ms. Rampalli will receive her Ph.D. in physics and astronomy from Dartmouth College in Spring 2026.