Jess Speedie recognized by IAU with 2025 PhD Prize Honourable Mention
EAPS postdoctoral associate Jess Speedie has been recognized by the IAU with a 2025 PhD Prize Honourable Mention. Photo courtesy of the Heising-Simon Foundation
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has recognized EAPS postdoctoral associate Jessica Speedie with a 2025 PhD Prize Honourable Mention in the planetary systems and astrobiology division for her doctoral thesis “Planet Hunting and the Dynamical Structure of Planet-forming Disks”. These annual awards recognize outstanding scientific contributions and exceptional doctoral thesis research carried out by early-career astronomers across the globe.
“The strengths of her PhD thesis lie in both its breadth and its thorough application to observational data,” according to the citation. “Through these efforts, Dr. Speedie presents a coherent research program aimed at revealing the dynamical structure of protoplanetary disks.”
Speedie’s thesis focused on methods to detect young planets via their gravitational effects and analyzing planet formation processes in protoplanetary disks using simulations. Her research included ways to estimate planet mass and their impact on disks structures, the development of anti-Keplerian masking, and the detection of gas structures inconsistent with existing models using model collected using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).
Speedie earned her PhD from the University of Victoria, Canada in 2025 before coming to MIT as both a 51 Pegasi b Fellow and School of Science Dean’s Fellow to work with EAPS professor Richard Teague. While in EAPS, Speedie is working on an algorithm to correct observational data gathered using ALMA to create the sharpest, most sensitive image of early planetary systems to date. She is also interested in studying infant planets forming in disks around protoplanets rather than stars.
In recognition of their achievements, the awardees will be invited to present their work during the Division Days at the IAU XXXIII General Assembly, which will be held from August 10 – 19, 2027 in Rome, Italy.
