Matt Godfrey
I am a first year PhD student in the Astronomy and Astrophysics Group at the 91福利, supervised by Peter Wheatley. My research focuses on mapping the climate systems of exoplanets using transmission spectroscopy. I use this technique to study atmospheric winds, composition, and evaporation driven by intense starlight.
I am currently using HARPS data for the hot Jupiter HD 189733b, building spatial maps of wind speeds and absorption features. This reveals how heat and material flow across the planet. I am also working with pipelines for reducing time series spectra and fitting exoplanet transit light curves, such as .
I studied Physics with Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Nottingham, during which time I completed a research internship using machine learning to model active matter systems. After graduating, I worked as a research assistant in on communication experiments, focusing on data integration and statistical analysis.
Teaching
I lead weekly example classes in Classical Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Electromagnetism, and Quantum Mechanics for undergraduates. This involves grading responsibilities and instructional support in theoretical physics concepts.
Conferences & Schools
- : Demographics of Exoplanets - Pasadena, US, July 2025 - Online, Poster
- European Astronomical Society Annual Meeting () - Cork, Ireland, June 2025 - Online
- Summer School of the Young German Astronomical Society () - Potsdam, Germany, June 2025 - Talk (supported by RAS travel award)
- - Leeds, UK, April 2025 - Poster
- Rencontres exobiologiques pour doctorants 2025 () - Le Teich, France, March 2025
- STFC Introduction to Astronomy Summer School - Keele, UK, September 2025