Eric Van Clepper, PhD

I am currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Wisconsin Center for Origins Research (WiCOR) at the Univeristy of Wisconsin-Madison. Using state-of-the-art disk simulations, I study how processes in planet forming disks may help (or hinder) the formation of habitable worlds -- including our own Earth. To learn more about my research, see my research page, or check out my recent publications.

I recieved my PhD from the Department of the Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago, where I worked with Professor Fred Ciesla. I developed computer models to study the chemical and dynamical evolution of protoplanetary disks, and how these processes affect the composition of the planets that form there. This includes planets and meteorites in our own Solar System, as well as disks around other stars and exoplanets.

I received my B.A. from Northwestern University in 2019 where I majored in both Physics and Astronomy as well as Earth and Planetary Sciences. My undergraduate work in the Astronomy department was focused in instrumentation and observation of star formation regions with Professor Giles Novak.

Want to hear more about my research? Contact me at vanclepper[at]wisc[dot]edu