Sara Seager

Topic: Mapping the Nearest Stars for Habitable Worlds

Professor Sara Seager of the Massachusetts Institute Technology is a planetary scientist and astrophysicist. She has been a pioneer in the vast and unknown world of exoplanets, planets that orbit stars other than the sun. Her ground-breaking research ranges from the detection of exoplanet atmospheres to innovative theories about life on other worlds to development of novel space mission concepts. Now, dubbed an “astronomical Indiana Jones”, she is on a quest after the field’s holy grail, the discovery of a true Earth twin. Dr. Seager earned her BSc from the University of Toronto, her PhD from Harvard University. Professor Seager is an honorary lifetime member of the RASC, has an honorary PhD from the University of British Columbia, and is a 2013 MacArthur Fellow.