I am a planetary scientist that works to understand planets as a class of astrophysical objects. My current research is on modeling giant planet atmospheres, interiors, and thermal evolution. Exciting extrasolar planet observations are happening on two fronts: the close-in "hot Jupiter" planets that can be studied with space-based and ground-based telescopes, and the young warm planets far from their parent stars, which can be directly imaged.
In my work on extrasolar giant planets I make connections between these distant planets, which we are just beginning to understand, and Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, for which we have abundant data and a long history of research. These exciting fields will continue to expand, fueled by ground-based observations, space missions, and new modeling efforts.