Julien de Wit is a planetary scientist specializing in the detection and characterization of new worlds, in particular exoplanets and their atmospheres. His group works on discovering and studying new worlds to consolidate our understanding of planets and habitats.

Julien’s primary interest and expertise lies in the field of data science where math and science are brought together to make sense of newly accessible pieces of reality! He has developed and applied new analysis techniques to map exoplanet atmospheres, study the radiative and tidal planet-star interactions in eccentric planetary systems, and constrain the atmospheric properties and mass of exoplanets solely from transmission spectroscopy.

The group aims to:

• DISCOVER exoplanets with the TRAPPIST and SPECULOOS telescopes, and NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and the Galactic Plane Exoplanet Survey (GPX).
• CHARACTERIZE objects of astronomical interest for potential further detailed study by the NASA Hubble, Spitzer, and James Webb space telescopes.
• CONTEXTUALIZE the properties of individual astronomical bodies to understand their physical processes