Dr. Sara Seager
Biography:
Dr. Sara Seager is the Class of 1941 Professor of Planetary Science, Professor of Physics, and Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her past research is credited with laying the foundation for the field of exoplanet atmospheres, while her current research focuses on exoplanet atmospheres and the future search for signs of life by way of atmospheric biosignature gases. Professor Seager is involved with a number of space-based exoplanet searches including as the Deputy Science Director for the MIT-led NASA mission TESS, as the PI for the JPL/MIT CubeSat ASTERIA, and as a lead for Starshade Rendezvous Mission (a space-based direct imaging exoplanet discovery concept under technology development). Among other accolades, Professor Seager is a MacArthur Fellow, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and has Asteroid 9729 named in her honor.