Background

In its wake, the pandemic has dramatically transformed the way that academia conducts its conferences, workshops and summer schools. Most academic events now offer hybrid formats, allowing for the possibility of remote participation. Exoplanets by the Lake is intended to be a signature summer school series that aims to reinstate an interactive, in-person summer school format among participants that is not easily achievable online. In 2025, our focus is on the study of the atmospheres of exoplanets using the James Webb Space Telescope, and the lessons we may learn from analyzing and interpreting the measured spectra. We also wish to look ahead and think about the astrobiological implications of these spectral analyses on future efforts to identify life in rocky exoplanets.

The distinctive features of the summer school include:

  • Emphasis on in-person interaction at an attractive, self-contained venue with at most 20 participants. The number of participants is kept small in order to encourage unrestricted, interactive discussions among exoplanet scientists of all sub-disciplines and seniority.
  • The event will be held for 5.5 days (5 nights). The first 3 weekdays involve pedagogical lectures during the day. There is an optional half-day excursion, via ship on the lake. The last 2 days feature a mini-conference format, where a small number of invited experts share their views and interact with the participants. Participants have the chance to contribute short talks, if desired.

The intended audience of this summer school ranges from Master students to junior postdocs. Both experts and curious newcomers to the topic are welcome to attend. Senior scientists who are intending to switch research directions and/or attending as active listeners are also welcome.

Key details

Topic

Spectra of atmospheres of exoplanets (exo-atmospheres)

Lecturers

Dr. Nestor Espinoza (STScI, U.S.A.), Dr. Luis Welbanks (Arizona, U.S.A.)

Invited Speakers

Prof. Sara Seager (MIT, U.S.A.)

Organizer

Prof. Kevin Heng (Munich, Germany)

Dates

July 27 to August 1 2025 (Sunday to Friday, 5 nights)

Venue

Hotel Seespitz Gaestehaus in Herrsching (1.5 hours from Munich airport by S Bahn).

Registration fee:

700 euros — includes hotel accommodation (shared; 2 participants to a room), all breakfasts and coffee/tea breaks (but no lunches/dinners).
Register no later than 2025 March 31 (Monday).

Lecturer profiles

Nestor Espinoza

Nestor Espinoza is an associate astronomer and mission scientist for exoplanet science at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. He is a widely recognised expert in the observations of exoplanetary atmospheres using both ground- and space-based telescopes. Among other programs, he is leading the implementation of a 500-hour Director’s Discretionary Time Program on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to search for atmospheres on nearby rocky exoplanets. Part of his role at STScI is to provide support for space missions like JWST, where he has taken leadership roles on developing techniques, methodologies and software to acquire, reduce and analyze data.

Luis Welbanks

Luis Welbanks is an assistant professor at Arizona State University, U.S.A. He is a widely recognised expert in atmospheric retrieval, which uses Bayesian inference to extract chemical abundances from measured spectra. These retrieved abundances are then used to interpret the formation history and habitability conditions of exoplanets. He is a member of numerous proposal teams that have won observing time on JWST and co-PI of the largest allocation to exoplanet science in Cycle 3.

Sara Seager

Sara Seager is professor of physics, planetary science and aeronautics and astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), U.S.A., as well as the holder of its Class of 1941 Chair. She is a pioneer in exoplanet science, having contributed to early developments such as the calculation and measurement of transmission spectra. Her recent efforts have focused on astrobiology. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the MacArthur grant, the Kavli Prize in Astrophysics and the Order of Canada. She is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. She is the author of "Exoplanet Atmospheres: Physical Processes" (Princeton University Press).

Organizer: Kevin Heng

Kevin Heng is professor of theoretical astrophysics at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany, and the holder of its Theoretical Astrophysics of Extrasolar Planets chair. He is the author of "Exoplanetary Atmospheres: Theoretical Concepts and Foundations" (Princeton University Press), which was recognised with the Chambliss Astronomical Writing Award of the American Astronomical Society.

Programme (tentative)

  • Sunday:  Meet-and-greet from 3pm to 5pm.
  • Monday:  Full day of lectures (with coffee/tea breaks, lunch and dinner)
  • Tuesday:  Full day of lectures (with coffee/tea breaks, lunch and dinner)
  • Wednesday:  Half day of lectures and after-lunch excursion (ship ride on lake) or free afternoon
  • Thursday:  Workshop with invited talks from experts and contributed talks from participants
  • Friday:  Half day of contributed talks from participants and panel discussion
Venue conference room