معرفی
Diana Valencia is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences at the University of Toronto, with cross-appointments in the Department of Astronomy. She holds positions at both the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) and the St. George campus, focusing her research on the characterization of low-mass exoplanets, particularly super-Earths and mini-Neptunes. Her work aims to determine whether planets with masses between 1-15 Earth masses are scaled-up versions of Earth or scaled-down versions of Neptune in terms of composition, evolution, and physical properties.
- Ph.D. from Harvard University, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (2008)
- M.Sc. from University of Toronto, Physics Department (2002)
- B.Sc. (Honours) from University of Toronto, Physics Department (2001)
Dr. Valencia's research interests center on the chemical composition and interior structure of super-Earths and mini-Neptunes, formation processes and chemistry of rocky planets, thermal evolution and interior dynamics of rocky and icy planets, and planetary habitability. Her work combines theoretical modeling with observational constraints to understand how planets form, evolve, and develop the properties we observe. She particularly focuses on connecting stellar composition to planetary characteristics and using statistical approaches to infer interior structures from mass-radius relationships.
Analysis of her recent publications shows a strong focus on connecting stellar composition to planetary characteristics, with increasing use of advanced statistical methods and machine learning techniques to infer interior structures. Her research spans theoretical modeling of planetary interiors, observational constraints from missions like JWST, and development of instrumentation for exoplanet characterization. The trend shows growing emphasis on understanding the diversity of rocky exoplanets and their formation pathways.
- Paolo Farinella 2021 Prize awarded by the European Planetary Society (shared with Lena Noack)
Dr. Valencia actively mentors PhD students, currently supervising Nathan Winsor (Habitability of M-Dwarf Stars), Jen Scora (Compositional Outcome of Rocky Planet Formation), Bo Peng (Volatile Acquisition of Rocky Planetary Bodies), and Mykhaylo Plotnykov (Statistical Inferences of the Interior Structure and Composition of Exoplanets). Her research group spans a wide variety of topics related to planetary formation and evolution, with particular emphasis on understanding how planets develop their observed properties. She has secured significant research funding, including NASA Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowship and Henri Poincare Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Dr. Valencia leads a research group focused on understanding planetary formation and evolution, with projects ranging from statistical inferences of interior structure to thermo-chemical evolution of planetesimals. She has also created the Astro4Kids initiative, providing free astronomy education to children worldwide, demonstrating her commitment to public outreach and science communication.
