Andrew Mann

Andrew Mann is an Associate Professor in the Physics & Astronomy Department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Hawaii (2013) and has held postdoctoral positions at the University of Texas at Austin (2013–2017) and Columbia University (2017–2018). His research focuses on young exoplanets, protoplanetary disks, and planet formation processes, leveraging data from missions like TESS, Kepler, and JWST. He leads the Young Worlds Lab, which investigates planetary evolution through studies of transiting planets, stellar ages, and binary systems.

Key research interests include analyzing young planetary systems (0–200 Myr) using advanced computational methods (e.g., EVA and MOLUSC codes) and studying phenomena like disk-star misalignment, atmospheric composition, and transit timing variations. Recent work includes discoveries of the 3 Myr-old TIDYE-1b (a planet with a misaligned protoplanetary disk) and the ultra-low-density HIP 67522b, both observed with JWST. His team also explores stellar ages via lithium depletion boundaries and Gaia variability metrics.

Andrew's work is published in journals like Nature and Astrophysical Journal, with a focus on young exoplanet demographics and mission design for CubeSats/SmallSats targeting exoplanet characterization. He collaborates on projects like the TI-DYE and THYME surveys, advancing understanding of planetary system evolution.