Ana Glidden

My research interests

Artwork: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Joseph Olmsted (STScI) My research sits at the intersection of exoplanet atmospheric characterization, stellar modeling, and astrobiology. I investigate how we can push the limits of current and future telescopes to assess the habitability of distant worlds. To do so, I combine theoretical models with observations to study planets and the stars they orbit.

I recently led the secondary atmosphere analysis for habitable-zone, rocky planet TRAPPIST-1 e, using JWST transmission spectroscopy. Our four-transit observations are one of the most sensitive looks at a potentially habitable terrestrial planet to date. They are an important step in the search for life outside the solar system. Our fifteen transit follow-up observations are already underway and may allow us to see an atmosphere on a temperate terrestrial world outside of the solar system for the first time.

Finding an atmosphere on such a world would be a major advancement in the search for life. Atmospheres allow liquid water to condense on a planetary surface. As the "universal solvent", water is believed to be a key requirement for the development of life. Our current constraints on TRAPPIST-1 e allow for the possibility of an atmosphere that could act as a blanket to support a global surface ocean, though we have not detected an atmosphere nor ruled one out conclusively. This is due in part to the active nature of the host star, TRAPPIST-1.

The smallest planets, those that have a surface where life could arise, are most readily observed around the smallest stars, known as M dwarfs. However, M dwarfs are highly magnetically active and cool enough that their spectra are peppered with a forest of molecular features. Stellar molecular features can also be confused for those of the planetary atmosphere as M dwarfs are cool enough to have water vapor. As we observe planets through the light of their host star, precise stellar models are critical for interpreting exoplanet atmospheric spectra. My complementary stellar research aims to improve the fidelity of M dwarf spectral models to make planetary atmospheric inferences more robust.

My research has been featured in several media outlets such as Scientific American, The New York Times, CNN, SETI Live, Sky & Telescope, Astrum Space, and AAS Nova.

I am a current member of the JWST Telescope Scientist Team, the REVEAL project, JWST TRAPPIST-1 e/b Program follow-up program, the Transiting Exoplanet Community Early Release Science Program, and the American Astronomical Society (AAS). I was previously a member of the TESS science team.

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Find my full list of publications on NASA ADS. First-author publications are hightlighted below in blue.