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My name is Dr Ryan Cloutier and I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at McMaster University.
My research focuses on the detection and characterization of the galaxy's most common planets around its most common stars. These exoplanets have sizes between that of the Earth and Neptune and do not have an analog in our solar system that we can study up close. My interests are in using a variety of observational techniques to understand the compositions of these so-called super-Earths and sub-Neptunes, and the physics of the stars that they orbit in order to inform our understanding of how these planets form and evolve.
Click here for a list of group publications on ADS.
...or continue scrolling to meet the group members.
Dr Ryan Cloutier (He/Him/His)
Assistant Professor of Physics & Astronomy
Principal Investigator (ryan.cloutier [at] mcmaster.ca)![]()
Erik Gillis (He/Him/His)
MSc student
gillie1 [at] mcmaster.caexoplanet demographics, transit photometry, M dwarfs
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Nicole Gromek (She/Her/Hers)
MSc student
gromekn [at] mcmaster.ca, Nicole's personal webpagestellar spectroscopy, M dwarfs, exoplanet composition
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Bennett Skinner
MSc student
skinnb1 [at] mcmaster.ca,M dwarf radius valley, radial velocity, population synthesis
Drew Weisserman
MSc student
weisserd [at] mcmaster.ca, Drew's personal webpagesuper-Earth composition, NIRPS radial velocity, M dwarfs
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Raven Westlake
MSc student
westlakr1 [at] mcmaster.ca,white dwarf-M dwarf binaries, white dwarf atmospheres, M dwarf winds
Undergraduate Researchers
Kareena Bhalla (USRA awardee & thesis student, 2023-24)
radius valley, planetary occurrence rates, Kepler/K2Audrey Burggraf (Thesis student, 2023-24)
cold giant planets, astrometry, GaiaOmar Elmi (McWork summer student, Summer 2023)
radius valley, planetary occurrence rates, Kepler/K2Dante Hunter (Co-op student & thesis student, 2023-24)
white dwarf mixing+sedimentation, M dwarf winds, MESA modelsVictor Pop (Independent Study researcher, Winter 2023)
M dwarf flare stars, flare detection, TESSAva Whitehead (Integrated Science/iSci researcher, Winter 2023)
radius valley around FGK stars, planet formation, radial velocity
The following is a link to a PDF version of my full CV.