ICTS

More than 5,000 exoplanets — planets orbiting stars other than our Sun — have been discovered so far. With the recent start of science operations with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), in addition to observations from ground-based telescopes and the soon-to-be-launched Roman Space Telescope, detailed atmospheric characterization of exoplanets is imminent.

These discoveries will place our solar system in the context of planetary environments that are alien to our own. In particular, the search for bio- and techno-signatures will enter a new era, where humanity’s oldest question, “Are we alone in this Universe?” will no longer be rhetorical but may finally be answerable in the near future. The proposed Habitable World Observatory (HWO) and the Large Interferometer for Exoplanets (LIFE) mission in 2040’s promise to significantly enhance our ability to detect and characterize Earth-like exoplanets, further pushing the boundaries of our understanding. We are proposing to conduct the first school on exoplanets in India at ICTS to bring in expertise from around the world for a series of lectures and hands-on sessions.

The objective of this school is to leverage the diverse expertise in exoplanet research that exists both in India and globally. We aim to promote collaborations to develop advanced modeling tools and to properly interpret the incoming data from these state-of-the-art observatories. Furthermore, we seek to foster partnerships between institutions to develop high-impact science.

Accommodation will be provided for outstation participants at our on campus guest house.

Eligibility criteria:  Faculty, Postdocs, PhD Students, Master Students who are already working on Exoplanet related Projects and have an abstract for Poster submission. 

ICTS is committed to building an environment that is inclusive, non discriminatory and welcoming of diverse individuals. We especially encourage the participation of women and other under-represented groups.