Announcing the 2023 Class of 51 Pegasi b Fellows

We are pleased to announce the 2023 recipients of the 51 Pegasi b Fellowship. The eight postdoctoral fellows were selected based on their outstanding research achievements, innovative research plans, and potential to impact the field of planetary astronomy. Their research interests include planet formation, observations and modeling of planetary atmospheres, astrobiology, and astronomical instrumentation. Fellows were also selected based on their commitment to, and plans for, advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in planetary astronomy.

To date, the Foundation has named 50 of these fellows. This year’s fellows join a worldwide 51 Pegasi b community that meets and communicates frequently to share research progress, discuss the latest ideas, findings, and developments in the field, and to support each other in professional development.

Meet the 2023 class of 51 Pegasi b Fellows:

Juliana García-Mejía

Host institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Huazhi Ge

Host institution: California Institute of Technology

Akash Gupta

Host institution: Princeton University

Rixin Li

Host institution: University of California, Berkeley

Ben K. D. Pearce

Host institution: Johns Hopkins University

Maria Steinrueck

Host institution: University of Chicago

Samuel Yee

Host institution: Harvard University

Yapeng Zhang

Host institution: California Institute of Technology

Launched by the Heising-Simons Foundation in 2017, the 51 Pegasi b Fellowship provides exceptional early-career scientists with the resources, freedom, and flexibility to conduct theoretical, observational, and experimental research in planetary astronomy. Each recipient will receive an initial three-year grant of up to $415,000 to pursue their proposed research at their selected host institution.

We extend our warmest congratulations to this year’s fellowship recipients and look forward to their continued contributions to the field of planetary astronomy.