ExoDyn Research Group

Current ExoDyn Researchers

Nadja Aldarondo Quiñones

Credentials: BS 2025, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras

Position title: Graduate Student

Nadja Aldarondo Quiñones's website

Nadja is a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Her research focuses on studying the spin-orbit alignment of stars hosting small planets and plants in multi-planet systems, with a goal of understanding how these systems form and assemble.

Her full list of publications can be found here.

Adam Distler

Credentials: BS 2024, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Adam Distler's website

Adam graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2024 with a B.S. in Mathematics and Astronomy-Physics. He is now pursuing his Ph.D. in Astronomy at Harvard University.

Publications.

Zijun He

Position title: High School Researcher (Madison West High School)

Zijun He's website

Zijun He focuses on studying the characteristics of exoplanets through Transit Timing Variation analysesHe is a 2025 Hubert Mack Thaxton Fellow and a researcher with the 2025 NASA SEES Program.

Alyssa Jankowski

Credentials: BS 2024, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Position title: Post-bac Researcher

Alyssa Jankowski's website

Alyssa graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2023 with an Astronomy-Physics major and Certificates in Computer Science and Game Design, and is currently a post-bac researcher in the ExoDyn group. While working with the group, Alyssa has published one first-author paper and submitted one additional paper.

Joseph Livesey

Credentials: BS 2022, University of Washington

Position title: Graduate Student

Joseph Livesey's website

I study the formation and evolution of planets, with a particular interest in planetary habitability.

Publications.

Nicholas Marston

Credentials: BS 2025, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Position title: Post-bac Researcher

Nicholas Marston's website

Nick graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2025 with Astronomy-Physics, Physics, and Scandinavian Studies majors, and is currently a post-bac researcher. His research is currently split between observational stellar astronomy and exoplanet formation & dynamics.

Devansh Mathur

Credentials: BS 2025, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Position title: Post-bac Researcher

Devansh Mathur is currently a post-bac student studying transit timing variations.

Devansh has one published first-author paper, in which he used REBOUND simulations to test whether hot Jupiters and their inner companions can form in situ.

Publications.

Eshan Raul

Credentials: BS 2024, University of Michigan

Position title: Graduate Student

Eshan Raul is a Ph.D. student in Astronomy currently studying exoplanet atmospheric characterization, orbital dynamics, and astrochemistry. His research is motivated by a strong interest in planetary habitability and the search for life elsewhere in the Universe.

Publications.

Eva Stafne

Position title: Undergraduate Researcher (UW-Madison)

Eva is currently focusing on characterizing exoplanetary habitability due to system dynamics. She is a 2025 Sophomore Research Fellow and recipient of the NASA Wisconsin Space Grant.

 

Publications.

Nathaniel Tanglin

Position title: Undergraduate Researcher (UW-Madison)

Nathaniel is an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying Astronomy-Physics (B.S.) and Science Communications (Cert.). His research interests include planetary habitability, cosmology, and astrobiology. In ExoDyn, Nathaniel is researching how a planet’s abundance of radioactive elements affects its fitness for life. On a personal level, Nathaniel loves Jesus, people, and experiencing life.

Group Alumni

Michelle Belkovski

Credentials: BS 2022, University of Michigan

Michelle Belkovski's website

Lailyn Borum

Credentials: BS 2025, University of Michigan

Lailyn Borum's website

Lucas Brefka

Credentials: BS 2022, University of Michigan

Position title: PhD Student, Penn State

Lucas Brefka's website

Ella Chevalier

Credentials: BS 2025, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Position title: Graduate Student at UC Berkeley

Ella Chevalier's website

Tali Khain

Credentials: PhD 2025, University of Chicago

Position title: Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard

Tali Khain's website

Achintya Krishnan

Credentials: BS 2024, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Position title: Graduate Student

Achintya Krishnan's website

Thomas MacLean

Credentials: BS 2025, Caltech

Position title: Graduate Student at Stanford

Thomas MacLean's website

Drew Weisserman

Credentials: BS 2023, University of Michigan

Position title: PhD Student at McMaster University

Drew Weisserman's website