Samantha Lawler

I am a dynamical modeler with a strong background in observational astronomy. Lately much of my work involves "observing" imaginary planets and dust using computer code, but I still get a lot of opportunity to compare my predictions with real data from real telescopes.

I study the orbits of planets and how they evolve over time. By studying the orbits of Kuiper Belt objects and carefully taking into account observational biases, we can learn about how the giant planets migrated in the early days of the Solar System. In exoplanet systems, we can use the structure of debris disks (dusty disks around stars made by colliding asteroids) to find exoplanets that would otherwise be invisible.

Are you a student looking for a supervisor?  I am looking for grad students and co-op students to work with me on various research projects. Take a look at my Science page and send me an email if these sorts of topics interest you!