Emily Rickman

Dr. Emily Rickman is a Science Operations Scientist for the European Space Agency (ESA) at the Space Telescope Science Institute. Her research focuses on combining astrometric and radial velocity data to find promising candidates to directly detect with high-contrast imaging, and characterize detections both atmospherically via integral field spectroscopy and dynamically via orbit fitting. Dr. Rickman seeks to investigate exoplanetary systems with HST and JWST with collaborators as part of STScI's Extrasolar Planetary Systems Imaging Group (EPSIG). She has led a number of programs with ground-based observatories with high-contrast imaging using VLT/SPHERE, as well as interferometry with VLTI/GRAVITY. Dr. Rickman is a member of the HST team providing support to the STIS instrument. She is also a project-level member of the JWST Telescope Scientist Team for coronagraphy, as well as the JWST High-Contrast Imaging ERS Team.

Dr. Rickman earned her doctorate in Astronomy and Astrophysics from Geneva Observatory in 2020, where she also spent some time as a postdoctoral researcher. She was then awarded a fellowship with the European Space Agency at STScI. Prior to earning her PhD, Dr. Rickman graduated from the University of Sheffield with a first-class Masters degree with honors in Physics and Astrophysics, including spending one year as a researcher at the Australian National University. Dr. Rickman is very passionate about diversity and inclusion in STEM, serving on several diversity committees, and having participated in numerous events targeted at encouraging women and members of the LGBTQ+ community into science.

Education:

PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Geneva
MPhys in Physics and Astrophysics, University of Sheffield
 

Science Interests:

• Direct imaging
• Orbit fitting
• Exoplanet characterization
• Radial velocities
• Astrometry
• Interferometry
• Integral field spectroscopy
• Coronagraphy

Research Topics: Exoplanets, Instrumentation

Professional Websites:

emilyrickman.com

ORCID ID: 0000-0003-4203-9715