Ian J. M. Crossfield

Dr. Ian J. M. Crossfield is an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Kansas, leading the KU ExoLab, a research group focused on discovering and characterizing exoplanetary systems. His work emphasizes exoplanet formation, composition, and instrumentation development using both ground-based and space-based observations.

Education: Ph.D. from UCLA. Former positions include postdoctoral roles at UC Santa Cruz, MIT Kavli Institute, and the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (UA), as well as adjunct roles at UCSC and research positions at the MPIA and JPL.

Research focuses on exoplanet atmospheres (e.g., JWST observations of WASP-39 b), stellar abundances, and planet-host star correlations. Notable contributions include the Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics 2020 and leadership in K2/TESS exoplanet surveys.

Advises numerous graduate and undergraduate students (e.g., Yoni Brande, David Coria), mentors postdocs, and collaborates internationally. Active in education via courses on exoplanets, astrophysics, and calculus-based astronomy. Maintains open-source Python tools for astronomical analysis.