معرفی
Sasha Hinkley is a Professor of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Exeter, leading the Astrophysics Group. She specializes in direct imaging and spectroscopy of exoplanetary systems using advanced observatories like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), and the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Her research focuses on detecting and characterizing planetary mass companions, debris disks, and protoplanetary systems.
- Affiliations: Principal Investigator (PI) of the JWST Early Release Science program, Lead for the UK Science Team of METIS (ELT's mid-infrared instrument), and active user of GRAVITY+ at the VLTI.
- Education: PhD training and postdoctoral work at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) as a NASA Sagan and NSF Postdoctoral Fellow.
Research Interests: Sasha's work emphasizes high-contrast imaging techniques to study exoplanet atmospheres, orbital dynamics, and the interactions between planets and their host stars' debris disks. She pioneered the use of JWST for early exoplanet studies and developed infrared instrumentation at facilities like Palomar and Keck Observatories.
Grants & Leadership: Managed a 120-member international team for JWST's 54-hour Early Release Science program. PI for multiple JWST Cycle programs targeting debris disk sculptors. Leads METIS preparations for the ELT's first-light operations.
