Meet the Fellows Research Combining observational data and simulations to trace the imprints of newborn worlds and reveal hidden processes of planet formation. Host University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Year Awarded 2025 Website Professional Page Jess Speedie Ph.D. candidate, Astronomy, University of Victoria, Canada Research Combining observational data and simulations to trace the imprints of newborn worlds and reveal hidden processes of planet formation. Host University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Year Awarded 2025 Website Professional Page “One of the big, big questions right now in the community focused on planet formation is, where are the planets? It is that simple. We think they’re developing in these disks, but we’ve detected so few of them.” Jess Speedie At the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in northern Chile, 66 parabolic dishes collect observational data from across our galaxy and beyond—information that is assembled into expansive three-dimensional composite images. When Jess Speedie joined an international scientific team exploring a theory on planet formation, she developed a novel approach to slice through ALMA radio wavelength data, exposing the wiggly signal of gravitational instability at work within a planet’s birthplace—and evidencing the team’s predictions. Applying her signature mix of astronomical observation, theory, and simulation, Ms. Speedie continues to pursue detection and characterization of the youngest planets in the galaxy. While the scientific community has discovered thousands of fully formed exoplanets since 51 Pegasi b was detected in 1995, a scarce few have been found still embedded in their formation environments. Understanding these “cosmic nurseries” has been central to Ms. Speedie’s career. As a 51 Pegasi b Fellow, she aims to develop an algorithm that can carefully align and stack a decade of ALMA observational data, correcting for the blurring effect that happens when combining images captured at different times, due to the orbital motion of materials in the planet-forming disks. This will enable her to provide the sharpest, most sensitive images of burgeoning planetary systems to date. With these compound observations, she hopes to advance an ongoing debate on whether planets form within or between the concentric rings of dusty, gaseous disks. A schematic representation of a young exosolar system with planets forming between the concentric dusty rings of their parental disk. Credit: Jess Speedie Ms. Speedie also aims to expand our understanding of infant planets themselves. Observers have recently spotted what could be disks of formation material surrounding protoplanets. Modeling how ingredient materials orbit around an object will allow her to develop a technique for measuring the mass of young planets. With ALMA upgrades already underway, Ms. Speedie’s approach could be tested on these disks—and some of the newest planets could be measured. Ms. Speedie will receive her Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Victoria, Canada, in Summer 2025.