Eliza
Kempton

Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics
University of Chicago  ·  5640 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago IL 60637

ekempton@uchicago.edu Office: ERC 575 (773) 795-1793

I study the atmospheres of planets beyond our solar system. My work focuses on modeling spectral signatures of exoplanet atmospheres to probe their chemistry, thermal structures, and dynamics — and the processes that shaped these worlds. My interests span the full range of planets that populate our galaxy, from hot Jupiters to mini-Neptunes and temperate terrestrial worlds.

I received my PhD from Harvard University where I was advised by Dimitar Sasselov, held a Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowship at UC Santa Cruz, and was previously faculty at Grinnell College and the University of Maryland.

Prospective PhD students: I encourage you to apply to our PhD program. I'm not anticipating new students in the 2027 cycle, though that may change. Due to the volume of email, I'm unable to respond to individual inquiries before admission — but please don't interpret that as a lack of interest.
Eliza Kempton

What we do

Research

The Kempton group aims to probe planet formation and evolution via studies of exoplanet atmospheres. We additionally endeavor to understand the diverse and exotic chemical and physical processes that occur within the atmospheres of extrasolar worlds. We focus on identifying how these processes can be constrained via spectroscopic observations of exoplanet atmospheres. As theorists primarily, we use and develop computational models to predict and interpret observable signatures. Our toolkit spans 1-D and 3-D radiative transfer, photochemistry, cloud and haze formation, and spectroscopic retrievals. We also occasionally propose for and obtain observational data (from JWST, ground-based telescopes, etc.) ourselves.

Atmosphere Modeling

Radiative transfer calculations in 1-D and 3-D geometries to predict and interpret the spectral signatures of exoplanet atmospheres.

Clouds & Hazes

Formation, optical properties, and observational fingerprints of aerosols in diverse exoplanet atmospheres — from hot Jupiters to temperate sub-Neptunes.

Terrestrial Worlds

Theoretical models to identify and characterize rocky exoplanets with atmospheres — and to constrain the conditions for atmospheric retention on M-dwarf planets.

Spectroscopic Retrievals

Statistical inference tools that extract atmospheric abundances, temperatures, and dynamical signatures from observed transmission and emission spectra.

Exoplanet Populations

Frameworks for prioritizing observational targets and interpreting demographic trends — including the TSM metric widely used for TESS planet characterization.

Observations

PI and Co-I on multiple space-based (e.g. JWST) and ground-based programs probing the composition and structure of exoplanet atmospheres across the size spectrum, from gas giants to rocky worlds.

Phase curve of GJ 1214b
Phase curve of the sub-Neptune GJ 1214b with JWST MIRI. This was the first phase curve observation of a sub-Neptune exoplanet. We can conclude from the measurements that GJ 1214b has a heavy-molecule atmosphere with a thick layer of reflective aerosols. (Figure credit: Kempton et al., 2023 )
TOI-421b transmission spectrum
Transmission spectrum of the hot sub-Neptune TOI-421b, revealing a cloud-free hydrogen-rich atmosphere with trace water vapor. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI). Spectrum from Davenport et al., 2025 )
Trappist-1b emission spectrum
JWST measurement of the secondary eclipse depth for the super-Earth TRAPPIST-1b, with theoretical model predictions overlaid. The observed eclipse depth is consistent with a very thin Mars-like atmosphere of less than 1 mbar CO2. Thicker CO2-dominated atmospheres are ruled out because they would produce colder dayside brightness temperatures at 15 microns. (Figure credit: Ih et al., 2023 )
High-res models
Model transmission spectrum for a hot Jupiter, accounting for atmospheric dynamics (winds) and planetary rotation. These 3-dimensional motions leave an observational imprint through shifts and broadening of spectral lines. (Figure credit: Miller-Ricci Kempton & Rauscher, 2012 )

The group

People

Current Members

Jeehyun Yang

Jeehyun Yang

Postdoctoral Fellow

Chemistry and photochemistry of (exo-)planetary atmospheres

Postdoc, NASA JPL (2022–25) · Ph.D. MIT, Physical Chemistry (2022)

Caroline Piaulet-Ghorayeb

Caroline Piaulet-Ghorayeb

51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellow

Interior structure of sub-Neptunes · JWST atmosphere observations

Ph.D. Université de Montréal, Astrophysics (2024)

Maria Steinrueck

Maria Steinrueck

51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellow

3-D climate modeling of clouds and hazes in exoplanet atmospheres

Postdoc, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg (2022–23) · Ph.D. University of Arizona, Planetary Sciences (2021)

Collin Cherubim

Collin Cherubim

NHFP Sagan Postdoctoral Fellow

Atmospheric escape and evolution of small planets

Ph.D. Harvard University, Earth & Planetary Sciences (2025) · M.S. Carnegie Mellon University, Chemistry (2015)

Brandon Park Coy

Brandon Park Coy

Graduate Student · Geophysical Sciences (co-advised with Edwin Kite )

Signatures of rocky planet atmospheric loss/retention

B.A. UC Berkeley, Astrophysics (2019)

Tyler Fairington

Tyler Fairington

Graduate Student · Astronomy & Astrophysics

Population-level studies of exoplanet atmospheres

B.S. University of Southern Queensland, Astrophysics (2025)

Jacob Weglarz

Jacob Weglarz

Postbac Researcher

Exoplanet cloud composition from chemical equilibrium calculations

B.S. University of Maryland, Astronomy & Physics (2025)

Former Postdocs

Matthew Nixon (2022–2025)

Exoplanet atmosphere retrievals · Interior structure of sub-Neptunes

→ 51 Pegasi b postdoctoral fellow, Arizona State University

Matej Malik (2018–2022)

Radiative transfer for terrestrial exoplanets · Swiss NSF Early Postdoc Mobility fellow

→ High school teacher

Sandra Bastelberger (2018–2022)

Photochemistry of exoplanet and solar system atmospheres (50% split with NASA Goddard )

→ Program officer, Swiss Study Foundation

Former Graduate Students

Arjun Savel Ph.D. UMD 2026

Spectroscopic diagnostics of 3-D atmospheric structure · Flatiron CCA predoctoral fellow

→ Postdoctoral fellow, Caltech

Jegug Ih Ph.D. UMD 2024

Inference of exoplanet atmospheric and surface properties

→ Postdoctoral fellow, STScI

Benjamin Hord Ph.D. UMD 2023

Discovery and characterization of exoplanets with TESS · NASA FINESST fellow · (Co-advised with Knicole Colón )

→ NPP Postdoctoral Fellow

D. J. Teal Ph.D. UMD 2023

Photochemistry of exoplanet atmospheres

→ Software engineer, NOIRLab

Sander Somers M.S., UMD 2025

Photochemical modeling of exoplanet atmospheres

→ Continuing Ph.D. at UMD

Brian Davenport M.S. UMD 2024

JWST observations of TOI-421b & Spitzer phase curve analyses · (Co-advised with Erin May )

→ Continuing Ph.D. at UMD

Giannina Guzman-Caloca M.S. UMD 2023

Observational studies of transiting exoplanet atmospheres · (Co-advised with Knicole Colón & Drake Deming )

→ Continuing Ph.D. at UMD

Selected Former Undergraduates

Madeline Lessard UMD '24

Modeling water worlds & cloudy hot Jupiter emission spectra

→ Astronomy Ph.D. program, UC Santa Cruz

Annie Triantafillides UMD '22

Modeling limb asymmetries in hot Jupiter transmission spectra

→ Astronomy Ph.D. program, University of Wisconsin

Emerson Whittaker UMD '21

Secondary eclipse spectra of terrestrial exoplanets

→ Planetary Science Ph.D., UCLA

Caleb Harada UMD '20

Impact of clouds on high resolution emission spectra · NSF Graduate Research Fellowship recipient

→ Astrophysics Ph.D., UC Berkeley

Carlos Muñoz-Romero Grinnell '20

Population-level exoplanet demographics and water-world atmosphere modeling

→ Astrophysics Ph.D., Harvard

Victoria DiTomasso CUNY '18

Impact of clouds on high resolution transmission spectra · Fulbright fellow 2018–19

→ Astrophysics Ph.D. program, Harvard

Erin Flowers Columbia '17

Imprints of atmospheric dynamics on high resolution transmission spectrum observations

→ Astrophysics Ph.D., Princeton

Rostom Mbarek Grinnell '16

Clouds in super-Earth atmospheres · AAS Chambliss Award honorable mention (2015)

→ Astronomy & Astrophysics Ph.D., University of Chicago

Bryson Cale Grinnell '16

Observations of transiting exoplanets with Grinnell's Gale Observatory telescope

→ Physics Ph.D., George Mason University

In the classroom

Teaching

Eliza Kempton teaching

Teaching students about the universe and the laws of physics that govern it is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. I've been a professor at three very different institutions — a small liberal arts college, a large state university, and a private research university — and I've taught at all levels, from non-majors through upper-level graduate courses. I employ student-centered approaches with plentiful active learning and try to highlight the full range of scientific skillsets: writing and communication as much as mathematical problem solving, programming, and graphical reasoning.

University of Maryland

  • ASTR 101 General Astronomy
  • ASTR 320 Theoretical Astrophysics
  • ASTR 380 Life in the Universe — Astrobiology
  • ASTR 435 Astrophysics of Exoplanets
  • ASTR 601 Radiative Processes
  • ASTR 688E Special Topics: Exoplanetary Astrophysics

Grinnell College

  • TUT 100 First-Year Tutorial: Life in the Universe
  • PHY 116 The Universe and Its Structure
  • PHY 180 Bridges, Towers, & Skyscrapers
  • PHY 131/132 General Physics I & II with Lab
  • PHY 234L Computational Mechanics Lab
  • PHY 314 Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics
  • PHY 395 Stellar & Planetary Astrophysics

Latest updates

News

August 2026

Welcome to new postdoc Collin Cherubim, incoming NASA Sagan Fellow

Collin Cherubim joins the group as an incoming NHFP Sagan Fellow, following the completion of his PhD at Harvard. He will be working on modeling the evolution of terrestrial planets, from both a theoretical and an observational standpoint.

May 2026

Postdoc Jeehyun Yang proposes that mini-Neptunes are natural "soot factories"

Jeehyun Yang led a study proposing that the featureless atmospheres of mini-Neptune exoplanets may arise from thick layers of soot-like aerosols, formed through high-temperature thermochemistry (akin to a combustion engine) in their deep atmospheres. Read the UChicago press release or Jeehyun's paper in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Apr 2026

Caroline Piaulet-Ghorayeb awarded a 51 Pegasi b fellowship

Postdoc Caroline Piaulet-Ghorayeb has been selected as a Heising-Simons Foundation 51 Pegasi b Fellow to continue her work probing the compositions and origins of sub-Neptune exoplanets. Read the UChicago announcement.

Background

Curriculum Vitae

153 Publications
11,873 Citations
62 h-index
$4.4M Total Grants
Download Full CV (PDF) Publications via SciX

Appointments

  • Professor, Astronomy & Astrophysics · University of Chicago · 2025–present
  • Professor, Astronomy · University of Maryland · 2024–2025
  • Associate Professor, Astronomy · University of Maryland · 2020–2024
  • Assistant Professor, Astronomy · University of Maryland · 2018–2020
  • Assistant/Associate Professor, Physics · Grinnell College · 2012–2020
  • Sagan Postdoctoral Fellow · UC Santa Cruz · 2009–2012

Education

  • Ph.D. Astronomy · Harvard University · 2009
    Advisor: Dimitar Sasselov
  • B.A. Physics, summa cum laude · Middlebury College · 2003

Selected Honors & Awards

  • UMD Distinguished Faculty Teaching Prize · 2022
  • UMD Prize for Excellence in Mentoring · 2021
  • Scialog Fellow, Research Corporation · 2018, 2021
  • NSF CAREER Award · 2017
  • Cottrell Scholar Award, Research Corporation · 2016
  • Harris Faculty Fellowship, Grinnell College · 2016
  • Kavli Frontiers Fellow, National Academy of Sciences · 2010, 2011, 2012
  • Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowship · 2009
  • Phi Beta Kappa · 2003