My name is Juliette Becker, and I am a professor 
at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where I lead the ExoDyn research group in the Astronomy Department. Our work uses dynamical techniques to address fundamental questions of planet formation: How do planetary systems acquire the architectures we observe? How does the structure and evolution of the protoplanetary disk shape the geometry of emerging planetary systems?
Since arriving at UW–Madison, I have taught courses ranging from introductory astronomy to graduate-level radiative processes and exoplanet dynamics. My research continues to centre on the formation and long-term stability of planetary systems, with a growing emphasis on habitability and planetary surface conditions. I also lead a NASA-funded project focused on unraveling the three-dimensional orbital architectures of exoplanet systems, aiming to better understand how planetary dynamics influences planetary climates and the potential for life.
My group is committed to mentoring early-career scientists, and I have worked closely with many undergraduate and graduate student researchers, several of whom have gone on to lead peer-reviewed publications as part of our work on planetary formation and evolution.
As a member of WiCOR — the Wisconsin Center for Origins Research — I also collaborate on interdisciplinary problems at the intersection of planetary dynamics, astrochemistry, and the origin and persistence of life beyond Earth.
Prior to UW–Madison, I was a 51 Pegasi b Fellow at Caltech, where I worked with Professor Konstantin Batygin on a range of dynamical problems in the Solar System and beyond. My research there included studying how disk properties and stellar variability influence planetary evolution. Before that, I completed my Ph.D. in Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Michigan, supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and a Leinweber Center for Theoretical Physics Fellowship. My doctoral advisor was Professor Fred Adams. During my Ph.D., I investigated the dynamics of both exoplanetary systems and our own Solar System, co-discovered two planets in the WASP-47 system, and led the discovery of a high-inclination Trans-Neptunian Object, 2015 BP519.