Group
The Exoteric Lab
Exoteric means intended to be understood by everyone. We chose the name because a result about another world should come with its assumptions in plain view, so that anyone can follow how it was reached and check it.
The lab is part of the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University in Tempe. We combine JWST, Hubble and ground-based spectra with physical models and statistics to study what exoplanet atmospheres are made of and what that tells us about how planets form and evolve. The lab also has a page on the ASU website.
People
From atmospheric spectra to planetary interiors, we study how exoplanets work and how to understand them.
Principal investigator
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Luis Welbanks
Assistant Professor
Exoplanet atmospheres from ultra-hot Jupiters to temperate sub-Neptunes, studied with low- and high-resolution spectroscopy, with a focus on how reliable each inference is. CV
Postdoctoral fellows
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Matthew Nixon
51 Pegasi b Fellow
Atmospheres and interiors of sub-Neptunes, including how magma oceans change the composition of the atmosphere. He leads the interpretation of JWST observations of sub-Neptunes and giant planets. Website
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Sagnick Mukherjee
51 Pegasi b Fellow
The coupled physics of atmospheres and interiors, using aerosol, chemistry and circulation models with JWST data to study how 3D dynamics and aerosols shape what we observe. He contributes to the open-source PICASO modeling suite. Website
Research support
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Tarun Marisetti
Research Software Engineer
Brings testing, continuous integration and monitoring to the group's research code, and is making atmospheric modeling with Aurora faster and easier to scale. He also built HabitableVis, an interactive tool for exploring and visualizing exoplanet research.
Graduate students
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Yoav Rotman
PhD student, since 2022
What space-based observations can and cannot tell us about exoplanet atmospheres, where statistics meets spectroscopy. He also works on NASA's Pandora SmallSat. Google Scholar
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Valentina Forero Fuentes
PhD student, since 2025
Transiting exoplanets, especially hot Jupiters, and what their composition says about how planets form. Larry R. Nittler advises her primary project and I advise her secondary one.
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Biruk Nardos
PhD student, since 2025
Models of sub-Neptune interiors, linked to what we observe in their atmospheres, building on a background in physics and computer science.
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Finnegan Keller
PhD student, since 2025
Planet formation, astrostatistics and spectral simulations, as a Presidential Graduate Assistant. Before ASU he worked with teams at the University of Hawaii, NASA JPL, Brown University and the Flatiron Institute. Google Scholar
Undergraduate students
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Izzy Kahn
Astrophysics, minor in dance
Retrievals and forward models of exoplanet atmospheres, and what they tell us about habitability.
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Ava Crane
Biological Sciences and Astrobiology
Potentially habitable exoplanets and their atmospheres, and life in extreme environments.
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Bella Reese
Astrophysics, minor in data science
Data reduction and the contamination of exoplanet spectra by their host stars.
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Corey McEuin
Astrophysics, minor in physics
Exoplanets and spectroscopy. He previously studied the transit of Kepler-17b with the 90-inch Bok Telescope at Kitt Peak.
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Ami Merritt
Physics, minor in Spanish
How exoplanets are detected, how they form and what their atmospheres are made of.
Joining the group
PhD students
Apply to the PhD program of ASU's School of Earth and Space Exploration and say in your application that you would like to work with the Exoteric Lab. You are welcome to email me beforehand with a few lines about your interests and background.
Postdoctoral researchers
I am glad to host applicants to independent fellowships such as the 51 Pegasi b Fellowship and the NASA Hubble Fellowship Program. Please email me early in the application cycle so that we have time to develop a proposal together.
ASU undergraduates
Start with the reading, tutorials and two short tasks on the undergraduate research page, then email me. Students have joined the group through NASA Space Grant internships and Barrett honors theses.
Contact: luis.welbanks@asu.edu