Peter Plavchan

Peter Plavchan is an Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at George Mason University, serving as Executive Director of George Mason Observatories. Previously, he held roles at Missouri State University and NASA's Exoplanet Science Institute. His research focuses on exoplanets around low-mass stars using radial velocity and transit methods, particularly the AU Mic planetary system. He leads NASA-funded missions like Landolt and HaZE, and collaborates on projects such as MINERVA-Australis and the EarthFinder probe concept.

Education:

• PhD in Physics, University of California (2006)
• MS in Physics, University of California (2006)
• BS in Physics, California Institute of Technology (2001)

Research Interests: Plavchan's work centers on exoplanet demographics around cool dwarfs, precision radial velocity techniques in the near-infrared, and instrumentation for space and ground-based telescopes. He has pioneered methods to mitigate stellar activity effects and contributed to major missions like Spitzer, Kepler, TESS, and JWST. His recent focus includes atmospheric characterization of exoplanets and next-generation radial velocity survey planning.

Awards:

• 2019 College of Science Dean's Award for Early Career Excellence
• 2017 NASA Group Achievement Award for laser frequency comb development
• 2014 NASA Honor Achievement Award for Exoplanet Archive launch
• 2010 NASA Honor Achievement Award for Spitzer instrument support

Grants & Missions: Supported by NASA, NSF, and Mt. Cuba Foundation. Leads the Landolt calibration mission and the EarthFinder probe concept. Active in the NASA Exoplanet Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG).

Labs/Teams: Directs George Mason Observatories and collaborates with international teams on projects like HISPEC for Keck Observatory and the CANDLE calibration mission.