معرفی
David R. Rice is a postdoctoral researcher at the Astrophysics Research Center of the Open University of Israel, investigating planet formation and evolution through computational modeling of planetary interiors, materials, and dynamics. His work integrates astrophysics and geoscience to decode exoplanet systems.
He holds a PhD in Astronomy from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (2023), advised by Prof. Jason H. Steffen, and a B.A. in Integrated Science with concentrations in Physics and Astronomy and Earth and Planetary Science from Northwestern University.
Rice specializes in exoplanet characterization, particularly interior structure modeling and demographic trends in Kepler systems. He developed MAGRATHEA—an open-source 1D planet structure code adopted by 10+ research teams—that links gap complexity to radius distributions, revealing how planetary spacing influences evolutionary pathways between Super-Earths and Sub-Neptunes.
He actively mentors high school and undergraduate researchers and founded Astronomy on Tap in Las Vegas for public science engagement. Rice also creates astronomy curricula, tutors physics/math, and co-developed Camp Cosmos for middle schoolers.
