Santa Cruz, CA—Sagnick Mukherjee, an astronomy Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), has been honored with the esteemed 51 Pegasi b Fellowship by the Heising-Simons Foundation. This fellowship recognizes exceptional postdoctoral scientists in planetary astronomy and provides substantial support for their independent research.
Key Facts:
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Fellowship Details: The 51 Pegasi b Fellowship offers up to $450,000 over three years, covering salary and discretionary funds for independent research in planetary astronomy.
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Research Focus: Mukherjee's work centers on modeling atmosphere-interior interactions of sub-Neptune planets, aiming to understand their formation, composition, and potential habitability.
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Host Institution: He is set to begin his fellowship at Arizona State University in September 2025 under the mentorship of Professor Steven Desch.
Mukherjee's research delves into the mysteries of sub-Neptune exoplanets—planets larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune, which are abundant in our galaxy yet absent from our solar system. His work involves developing open-source software to model how the interiors of these planets influence their atmospheres, particularly focusing on phenomena like magma oceans emitting gases that can alter atmospheric composition.
The 51 Pegasi b Fellowship, established in 2017 and named after the first exoplanet discovered orbiting a Sun-like star, aims to support early-career scientists in planetary astronomy. The fellowship has grown to include over 60 fellows conducting theoretical, observational, and experimental research in the field.
Mukherjee's achievement not only underscores his contributions to exoplanet research but also highlights the increasing recognition of Indian scientists in the global astronomical community.
Do You Know? The 51 Pegasi b Fellowship is named after the first exoplanet discovered orbiting a Sun-like star, marking a significant milestone in the field of exoplanetary science.
Key Terms:
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Sub-Neptune Planets: Exoplanets with sizes between Earth and Neptune are common in the galaxy but not present in our solar system.
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Exoplanet: A planet located outside our solar system that orbits a star.