Matt Godfrey
I am a first year PhD student in the Astronomy and Astrophysics Group at the University of Warwick, 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 TIBERIUSLink opens in a new window.
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 Hearing Sciences Scottish Section 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
- Sagan Summer Workshop: Demographics of Exoplanets - Pasadena, US, July 2025 - Online, Poster
- European Astronomical Society Annual Meeting (EAS 2025) - Cork, Ireland, June 2025 - Online
- Summer School of the Young German Astronomical Society (jAG25) - Potsdam, Germany, June 2025 - Talk (supported by RAS travel award)
- UKEXOM - Leeds, UK, April 2025 - Poster
- Rencontres exobiologiques pour doctorants 2025 (RED25) - Le Teich, France, March 2025
- STFC Introduction to Astronomy Summer School - Keele, UK, September 2025