Hello! I'm a PhD candidate at the Trottier Space Institute at McGill University. I study the atmospheres of distant exoplanets using space-based telescopes, particularly the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). While I am interested in a broad range of planets, I mainly focus on short-period, hot worlds, aiming to understand their chemical composition, energy balance, and cloud coverage.
End-to-end experience with JWST observations, including data reduction with NIRISS, NIRSpec, and MIRI using exoTEDRF and Eureka!. Skilled in light curve fitting, spectral extraction, and deriving atmospheric properties, including phase curve mapping.
Strong background in exoplanet atmospheres and radiative transfer, including modeling thermal emission, reflected light, and atmospheric energy balance. Experienced with multiple spectral retrieval frameworks and their underlying assumptions.
Proficient in Python, with working knowledge of R and MATLAB. Experienced in building reproducible workflows using tools like Github, Docker and working in high-performance computing environments.
I have a Masters in Data Science from the University of British Columbia which gave me a strong foundation in statistical methods, including Bayesian inference. Skilled at transforming complex datasets into clear, interpretable, and visually effective results.
Recently, I was fortunate to be awarded time as Principal Investigator for a JWST GO Cycle 5 program. We were awarded 69.6 hours to obtain a MIRI/LRS phase curve of the quintessential hot Jupiter HD 189733b in order to globally constrain silicate clouds from its day to its nightside. Stay tuned!
In 2025, we published a paper on the energy budget of WASP-121b using a JWST NIRISS/SOSS phase curve. In this work, we precisely constrain the day-night heat recirculation and Bond albedo of this ultra-hot Jupiter. For the first time, we also measured the Bond albedo and the geometric albedo of a hot Jupiter using the same instrument still finding a discrepancy sharpening the albedo paradox. Figures from Splinter et al. (2025)
Recently, we published a paper on the LTT 977b JWST/NIRSpec phase curve to The Astronomical Journal. I helped co-supervise an undergraduate student (2nd author) on modeling the energy budget of this planet and I also contributed an independent data reduction. Figure from Ashtari et al. (2026)
I was 4th author on this published paper to Nature Astronomy where we modeled the helium triplet with JWST NIRISS/SOSS. This allowed our team to model the atmospheric escape on this puffy planet detecting leading and trailing tails. I helped contribute an independent spectral retrieval analysis. Figure Credit: Daria Kiselava/ McGill Tribune
I was third author on this published paper to The Astronomical Journal where we obtained JWST NIRSpec/G395H partial phase curve of the high-eccentricity (e = 0.93) planet HD 80606b. I helped contribute an indpendent spectral retrieval analysis confirming the changing chemistry as the planet heats up near its star. Figure from Sikora et al. (2025)
I was a lecturer during the ExoSLAM Summer School series geared toward early-career exoplanet researchers. My lecture was on emission spectroscopy and reflected light in exoplanets. I also helped organize this summer school and assisted with other tutorials!