We detect benzene (C6H6), which comes in the form of this fun ring!

This C-rich chemistry is in stark contrast with the disk around the host star, CT Cha A, where we only find O-bearing molecules. CT Cha A fits in well with other Sun-like objects, while CT Cha b extends disk chemistry trends down to the planetary-mass regime.

Today is a special paper day for me: for the first time we can do chemistry in a circumplanetary disk around a planetary-mass companion! Gabriele Cugno and I used JWST to tease out the signal of CT Cha b, finding a rich carbon chemistry (7 molecules + 1 isotopolog detected)! arxiv.org/abs/2509.15209

Another MINDS JWST paper! We explore the stark transition from H2O-dominated spectra in Sun-like systems to the carbon-rich chemistry seen for low-mass objects. We don't know exactly what is driving this trend, but we explore the possibilities that may be acting in concert.
arxiv.org/pdf/2508.04692

New MINDS paper from Nicolas Kurtovic, focused on binary systems. Spectra, extended emission, variability, multi-observatory analysis -- there's something for everyone!
arxiv.org/pdf/2508.02576

Obligatory picture at the institute sign and new headshot for my first day as a Carnegie Fellow at the Earth and Planets Laboratory

Our latest JWST (+ ALMA, VLTI-GRAVITY, IRTF-iSHELL) paper has been accepted in A&A! arxiv.org/abs/2406.10217
We investigated the short-separation DF Tau binary system. We find an unexpected disk around B with ALMA, with movement seen in ~2 months. The disks are < 3 au in radius.

I finally celebrated job news: I’m moving stateside (well, okay, federal-district-side)! In the fall I will start a three-year position as a Carnegie Fellow at Carnegie Science’s Earth and Planets Laboratory (EPL) in Washington, D.C. 🇺🇸