Katja Poppenhäger

Prof. Dr. Katja Poppenhäger serves as Director of the research branch "Stellar, Solar and Exoplanetary Physics" and Section Head of "Stellar Physics and Exoplanets" at the Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP), while also holding a professorship at the University of Potsdam. Her office is located at KH/2.25 at AIP, with contact information including phone number +49 331 7499 223 and email kpoppenhaeger@aip.de.

Her research focuses on exoplanets and their atmospheres, particularly investigating how host stars influence these planets through irradiation and magnetic effects. She leads a research group that employs both observational techniques across multiple wavelength regimes and numerical simulations to advance understanding of exoplanetary systems. Her work spans atmospheric evaporation of exoplanets, transmission and reflection measurements of exoplanet atmospheres, stellar magnetic activity with and without planets, stellar flares, coronal mass ejections and their interaction with planets, magnetic field measurements of stars, and simulations of stellar convection.

Prof. Poppenhäger's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on exoplanet atmospheres, star-planet interactions, and stellar activity. These works utilize data from cutting-edge instruments and space missions including PLATO, PEPSI, CHEOPS, and eROSITA, contributing significantly to our understanding of how planetary systems form and evolve under stellar influence. Her research connects observational astronomy with theoretical modeling to provide comprehensive insights into planetary system formation.

She actively participates in major research projects such as PLATO (a satellite mission to observe 100,000 stars), PEPSI (a high-resolution spectrograph for the LBT), VATT-PEPSI-TESS survey, and others. In 2022, she organized the Thinkshop on "High-resolution spectroscopy for exoplanet atmospheres and biomarkers," bringing together scientists to discuss the latest techniques for exoplanet atmosphere observations and analysis.

Prof. Poppenhäger supervises several doctoral candidates including Desmond Dsouza, Ilaria Civale, Zheng Sun, and Yuehong Chen, while leading a research team that includes senior scientists like Dr. Julián Alvarado-Gómez (space weather), Dr. Silva Järvinen (cool and massive stars), and Dr. Matthias Steffen (stellar atmospheres), fostering a vibrant research environment focused on understanding the complex interactions between stars and their planetary systems.