Eric Ford
Professor
Websites
Biography
After receiving his Ph.D. in Astrophysical Sciences from Princeton University in 2003, Ford worked at the University of California, Berkeley as a Miller Research Fellow. Next, Ford was a Hubble Fellow at the Institute for Theory and Computation and Theoretical Astrophysics Division of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ford served on the faculty at the University of Florida from 2007-2013. In 2013, Ford joined the Penn State faculty as part of the Institute for Computational & Data Sciences (ICDS; formerly known as Institute for CyberScience) cluster hire initiative. At PSU, Ford engages with ICDS, the Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds, Center for Astrostatistics, and various Data Science initiatives for both education and research.
Research Interests
My research centers around exoplanets, with long-term goals of improving our understanding of planet formation and the dynamical evolution of planetary systems. My research group includes both theoretical modeling of planetary systems and interpretation of exoplanet observations. I emphasize the interface between theory and observation, including techniques for characterizing extrasolar planets, the statistical analysis of extrasolar planet observations, methodology for exoplanet demographics, and the efficient design of extrasolar planet surveys. I collaborate with leading planet survey teams, including NASA’s Kepler mission, the Habitable Zone Planet Finder and NEID. Ultimately, my research aims to improve our understanding of planet formation & evolution, both in our Solar System and in general.
- Extrasolar Planetary Systems
- Planet Formation
- Detection & Characterization of Exoplanets (Doppler, Transits, and more)
- Astrostatistics, Astroinformatics & Data Sciences
- Astrobiology
- High-Performance Scientific Computing
Honors and Awards
- 2003-2006 Miller Research Fellow
- 2006-2007 Hubble Fellow
- 2011 American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences’s Harold C. Urey Prize
- 2012 American Astronomical Society’s Helen B. Warner Prize
- 2015 Finalist for 2015 Blavatnik Award in Physical Sciences & Engineering
- 2020 Simons Fellow in Theoretical Physics
Selected Press Releases
- First Earth-Size Planet Is Discovered in Another Star’s “Habitable Zone”
- Solved: Mysteries of a Nearby Planetary System’s Dynamics
- New NASA coalition to lead search for life on distant worlds includes two leaders at Penn State
- Atmosphere of Far Worlds Probed with New Technique and Large Telescope
Contact Information
408A Davey Lab
University Park, PA 16802
Email: ebf11@psu.edu
