David Charbonneau is the Fred Kavli Professor of Astrophysics and Chair of the Astronomy Department. He enjoys working with students and postdoctoral fellows to develop novel methods and instruments for the detection and characterization of planets orbiting other stars, and studies how the life cycles of the parent stars affect the properties of the atmospheres of any attendant worlds. Dr. Charbonneau led numerous firsts in this field, including the first detection of an exoplanet passing in front of its star and the first discovery of an exoplanet atmosphere. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He recently co-chaired the congressionally commissioned study defining our national strategy for exoplanet research, including the search for life on planets orbiting other stars. In recognition of his discoveries, Dr. Charbonneau was awarded the Kavli Prize in Astrophysics by the King of Norway at a ceremony in Oslo in September 2024.
Fred Kavli Professor of Astrophysics and Chair of the Astronomy Department