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Dr. Emily Rickman

Astronomer
European Space Agency

Space Telescope Science Institute

Exoplanets, Brown Dwarfs, Direct Imaging, Astrometry, Radial Velocities, Atmospheric Characterization

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BIO

Personal Profile

Emily Rickman exoplanets telescope

I am a science operations scientist for the European Space Agency (ESA) at the Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. I work on combining astrometric and radial velocity data to find promising candidates to directly image, and spectrally and atmospherically characterize any detections. I work on the Hubble Space Telescope STIS team and I am also a member of the JWST telescope scientist team, working as a project-level member on coronagraphic imaging,

 

I started my journey at the Space Telescope Science Institute as a European Space Agency Research fellow. Prior to making the move to the US, I was a Ph.D. student and then a postdoctoral researcher at Geneva Observatory, Switzerland, working on two large surveys to directly image exoplanets around young stars in the mid-infrared. The first one, called NACO-ISPY, is a high-contrast imaging survey of nearby stars with debris disks to detect and characterize giant planets in wide orbits, including 120 GTO nights on VLT/NACO (ESO, Paranal, Chile). The second survey, SPHERE-SHINE (SpHere INfrared survey for Exoplanets) is a large-scale direct imaging survey performed with the second-generation high-contrast imager VLT/SPHERE with 200 nights of GTO. In parallel, I was also investigating long-period planets and brown dwarfs by coordinating part of the CORALIE spectrograph survey for extra-solar planets using the Euler Swiss telescope (ESO, La Silla, Chile). These long-period radial velocity targets serve as ideal candidates for direct imaging, which allowed me to work towards bridging the gap between these two different detection techniques.

I graduated from the University of Sheffield with a first-class Masters degree with honors in Physics and Astrophysics. I spent a year of my Masters studying at the Australian National University, where I worked with Kepler K2 data to find hot Jupiters and Neptunes around young stars. Upon my return to Sheffield, I worked on a quantum physics summer research project, investigating cavity polariton flows. My final year Masters research involved producing theoretical binary star systems and calculating the resolution limit for detecting these systems, as well as producing models using Monte Carlo simulations to constrain the physical parameters of these systems.

I am also very passionate about diversity and inclusion in STEM. My involvement in numerous diversity initiatives can be found on my CV and under the 'In The Press' section of my webpage. In my spare time, I love running, yoga, hiking, and traveling, as well as hanging out with my rescue dog Nova.

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MY EXPERIENCE

Background & Expertise

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Space Telescope Science Institute

EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY ASTRONOMER / SCIENCE OPERATIONS SCIENTIST

Researching giant planets and brown dwarfs with the use of coronagraphy, IFUs, and interferometry. Support scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope STIS team and coronagraphic imaging JWST telescope scientist team project member.

Space Telescope Science Institute

EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY RESEARCH FELLOW

Combining radial velocities, absolute astrometry, and relative astrometry from direct imaging towards the comprehensive characterization of exoplanets and brown dwarfs. Using these objects as benchmarks in which to compare atmospheric models of ultracool companions.

Geneva Observatory

POSTDOCTORAL  RESEARCHER

Direct imaging and spectral characterisation of giant exoplanets and brown dwarfs around in the mid-infrared. High contrast imaging of nearby stars with debris disks and long period radial velocity trends to detect and characterise giant planets in wide orbits using VLT/NaCo, VLT/SPHERE and EULER/CORALIE.​​​

Geneva Observatory

PHD RESEARCHER

Direct imaging and spectral characterisation of giant exoplanets and brown dwarfs around in the mid-infrared. High contrast imaging of nearby stars with debris disks and long period radial velocity trends to detect and characterise giant planets in wide orbits using VLT/NaCo, VLT/SPHERE and EULER/CORALIE.​​​

The University of Sheffield

MASTER OF PHYSICS AND ASTROPHYSICS (HONOURS)

Determining the limits at which binary star systems can be resolved by producing synthetic binary systems with the use of IDL and resolving them using DS9, then plotted against data of Cyg. OB2 observed with Gemini North NIRI. Monte Carlo simulations were carried out in order to produce a whole population of synthetic binary systems and compare these simulations to the observations in order to try and constrain some physical properties of binary systems

The Australian National University

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

I analysed NASA Kepler K2 data for hot Jupiters and Neptunes around young stars in order to analyse light curves to look for transiting planets and assisted in taking follow up observations using WiFeS (ANU’s Wide-Field Spectrograph at Sliding Spring observatory).

The University of Sheffield

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

I was awarded funding by the Sheffield Undergraduate Research Experience to undertake a research position. The project involved investigating the feeding of cavity-polariton states with multiple lasers to determine theoretically if photons injected by a second laser can generate polaritons that substitute those participating in a pre-existing polariton flow.

 Full list of publications can be found at my NASA/ADS library here: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/public-libraries/aMcI8qLxTg6k-YuwhKtdyQ

E. L. Rickman, W. Ceva, E. MatthewsD. Ségransan, B. Bowler, T. Forveille, K. Franson, J. HagelbergS. Udry, A. Vigan

A&A 684, A88 (2024)

Miles, Brittany E., Biller, Beth A., Patapis, Polychronis, Worthen, Kadin, Rickman, Emily et al.

The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Volume 946, Issue 1 (2023)

E. L. Rickman, D. Ségransan, J. Hagelberg, J.-L. Beuzit, A. Cheetham, J.-B. Delisle, T. Forveille, S. Udry

A&A 635, A203 (2020)

E. L. Rickman, D. Ségransan, M. Marmier, S. Udry, F. Bouchy, C. Lovis, M. Mayor, F. Pepe, D. Queloz, N. C. Santos, R. Allart, V. Bonvin, P. Bratschi, F. Cersullo, B. Chazelas, A. Choplin, U. Conod, A. Deline, J.-B. Delisle, L. A. Dos Santos, P. Figueira, H. A. C. Giles, M. Girard, B. Lavie, D. Martin, F. Motalebi, L. D. Nielsen, H. Osborn, G. Ottoni, M. Raimbault, J. Rey, T. Roger, J. V. Seidel, M. Stalport, A. Suárez Mascareño, A. Triaud, O. Turner, L. Weber, A. Wyttenbach

A&A 625, A71 (2019)

Home: CV

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

In the press.

Some selected press appearances about my research, outreach and promoting women and LGBTQ+ in science

There are articles in the following languages: English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.

In the press.
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