Biography

Astronomer David Kipping: Following the ‘Trail of Cosmic Breadcrumbs In the Story of How We Came to Be’

Fascinated by the solar system since childhood, David Kipping, Assistant Professor of Astronomy at Columbia University, is widely known for his research of extrasolar planets and exomoons, including their impact on the origins of our solar system and beyond. (Extrasolar planets are planets located outside our solar system, while exomoons are moons that orbit these extrasolar bodies.) “I seek to understand our home’s uniqueness in the universe,” says David in explaining his work. “Our parent star, solar system, home planet and companion moon have all played a role in the story of how we came to be. My passion is to follow the trail of cosmic breadcrumbs left behind to reveal whether this story played out elsewhere across the ocean of stars.”

At Columbia, he leads the Cool Worlds Lab where he and his team study extrasolar planetary systems with a particular focus on the detection and analysis of worlds found at longer orbital periods. He is also principal investigator of The Hunt for Exomoons with the Kepler (HEK) project, in addition to being active in science outreach, including operating a YouTube channel called Cool Worlds, which, with more than 100,000 subscribers, serves as an international platform to discuss his group’s research and related science.

David earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the University of Cambridge and received his Ph.D. in Astrophysics from University College London. He spent time doing postdoctoral work at Harvard University before joining Columbia University in 2015, and has authored more than 90 scientific publications.

For more information, please visit http://www.davidkipping.co.uk/