Eliza Kempton

I am an exoplanet astronomer who specializes in modeling the spectral signatures of exoplanet atmospheres. Such spectra are our main observational means of probing the chemistry, thermal structures, and dynamics of planetary atmospheres beyond our solar system. The Kempton research group studies a wide range of exoplanets from hot Jupiters to mini-Neptunes to temperate terrestrial worlds. We are especially motivated by observationally-oriented questions. We develop and apply our theoretical modeling tools (e.g., radiative transfer, photochemistry, cloud and haze formation, and spectroscopic retrievals) to make predictions and interpretations relevant to observational data. I started my academic career at Middlebury College, where I received a B.A. in physics. My Ph.D. is in astronomy from Harvard University, where I was advised by Dimitar Sasselov. After graduate school, I was a NASA Sagan Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Santa Cruz. I was a physics professor at Grinnell College from 2012 to 2018 before moving to UMD to join the astronomy department as a faculty member. In summer 2025, I will be departing UMD to take a new position as Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Chicago. I can be contacted there at ekempton@uchicago.edu.

Research Areas:

Exoplanets

Research Centers & Collaborations: Center for Theory & Computation