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TAP Planetary Atmospheres Initiative Lecture - Caroline Piaulet-Ghorayeb

Caroline Piaulet-Ghorayeb, University of Chicago

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When

3:30 – 4:30 p.m., Oct. 27, 2025

Refreshments served at 3:00 in the 3rd floor Atrium

 

TAP Planetary Atmospheres Initiative Lecture

Caroline Piaulet-Ghorayeb, University of Chicago

Visit Dates: Oct 26 - Oct 30

Title: Beyond Earth 2.0: charting paths to habitable worlds with JWST

The quest to understand whether planets beyond our Solar System could harbor life is a driving force in exoplanet science. Two principal types of exoplanets stand out as promising candidates for habitability: temperate rocky worlds—the archetypal “Earth 2.0”—and small, cool sub-Neptunes, some of which might even sustain surface liquid water. In this talk, I will discuss recent advances in probing the habitability of these planets, highlighting the need for a comprehensive approach that considers a planet’s internal makeup, its stellar environment, the connection between atmospheric and bulk composition, and the importance of 3D climate calculations to interpret observations. 

I will highlight recent JWST observations of TRAPPIST-1 d, a small temperate rocky planet, and share findings from JWST observations and novel modeling of small sub-Neptunes—results that prompt paradigm shifts in our understanding of the processes shaping these worlds. Finally, I will describe how forthcoming JWST programs can chart a path forward to address outstanding questions and challenges.

Bio:  Caroline is the Margaret Burbridge Prize Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Chicago. She obtained her PhD from the University of Montreal, at the Trottier Institute for research on exoplanets. She studies a variety of exoplanets, from small rocky planets to gas giants, using both observations and modeling of exoplanetary atmospheres and interiors. Her current research focuses on small planets, which are now available for atmospheric exploration with the JWST. This includes searching for thin atmospheres on exo-Earths, and characterizing the diversity of atmospheric compositions found on “sub-Neptune” exoplanets straddling the gap between the rocky and gaseous planets of the solar system. 
 

Caroline Piaulet-Ghorayeb’s Schedule

Caroline Piaulet-Ghorayeb’s Website

Contacts

Brittany Miles