The University of Michigan is hosting the Emerging Researchers in Exoplanet Science Symposium XI (ERES XI) in July 2026 (Visiting CHPS).

Abstract

ERES XI is a platform for early-career scientists (graduate students, postdocs, and advanced undergraduates) to share their research on all aspects of exoplanet science, from detection and characterization to theory and instrumentation.

Beyond exoplanet research specifically, ERES welcomes work on planetary systems broadly, encompassing star and planet formation, stellar astrophysics, Solar System exploration, astrobiology, atmospheric sciences, celestial mechanics, and aerospace engineering.

The symposium aims to foster networking, collaboration, and professional development within the exoplanet community by providing early-career researchers an opportunity to present findings and connect with peers across planetary science disciplines.

Conference website: eres-planets.github.io

CHPS is co-sponsoring the Gas Giant Planet Formation workshop at the University of Michigan on May 14–15, 2026 (Visiting CHPS).

About

Gas Giant Planet Formation: Clues from Composition (G2PFCfC@A2) is a two-day workshop examining the composition of gas giants, how we can measure them, how theories can explain observed trends, and their connection to circumstellar disk evolution and exoplanetary systems.

The workshop is organized by the Scientific Organizing Committee: Michael Meyer, Cheng Li, and Fred Adams. It is sponsored by the Center for Habitable Planetary Systems (CHPS) and the Department of Astronomy at the University of Michigan.

Invited Speakers

• Ryan Macdonald (University of St. Andrews)
• Eve Lee (UC San Diego)
• Marta Bryan (Penn State University)
• Jaehan Bae (University of Florida)
• Yamila Miguel (University of Leiden)
• Ali Hyder (JPL)
• Ke Zhang (University of Wisconsin)
• Alan Boss (Carnegie DTM)

Registration

• Regular deadline: April 1, 2026
• Absolute deadline: April 17, 2026

Registration and abstract submission: forms.gle/NNbQEvSM5RjxAr1T8

Schedule

May 14

9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Session 1: Observational Properties of Gas Giant Planets

(includes 30-minute coffee break)

Invited speakers: Ryan Macdonald (University of St. Andrews) and Marta Bryan (Penn State University)

1:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Session 2: Properties of Planet Forming Disks

(includes 30-minute coffee break)

Invited speakers: Jaehan Bae (University of Florida) and Ke Zhang (University of Wisconsin)

May 15

9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Session 3: Theories of Gas Giant Planet Formation

(includes 30-minute coffee break)

Invited speakers: Eve Lee (UC San Diego) and Alan Boss (Carnegie DTM)

1:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Session 4: Is the Solar System Unusual?

(includes 30-minute coffee break)

Invited speakers: Yamila Miguel (University of Leiden) and Ali Hyder (JPL)

Venue

The workshop takes place at the historic Judy and Stanley Frankel Detroit Observatory at the University of Michigan, 1398 E Ann St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.

Attendees can arrange accommodations through a reserved block at the Vanguard Hotel, located within a short walk of the venue. The Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) serves as the primary international gateway for the region. Additional logistics details regarding transportation to Ann Arbor and dining options are shared through the conference page.

Original conference page: sites.google.com/umich.edu/gasgiantplanetformation-a2

CHPS hosted its inaugural plenary lecture by Dr. Alessandro Morbidelli of the Nice Observatory on April 22, 2026 at 3:00 pm in Atrium 4, North Palmer Commons (Visiting CHPS). Morbidelli's visit was hosted by CLaSP over a multi-day program at the University of Michigan.

Planet formation and evolution: key processes to understand the diversity of planetary systems

The discovery of a large number of extrasolar planets has demonstrated that our own system is not "typical". Exo-planetary systems can be very different from our own, and diverse from each other. Understanding this diversity is a major goal of modern planetary science. The formation of planetary systems is not fully understood, but major advances have been obtained in the last 10 years. New concepts have been proposed, such as the streaming instability for the formation of planetesimals and pebble accretion for the formation of protoplanets. It is also now clear that planets forming in the proto-planetary disks have to migrate during their accretion, if their mass exceeds a few times the mass of Mars. Accretion and dynamical evolution are therefore very coupled processes. This leads to complex evolutions, very sensitive to initial conditions and fortuitous events, that are the key to understand the observed diversity of planetary systems. The early formation of Jupiter and its limited migration due to the formation of Saturn are two fundamental ingredients that determined the basic structure of the Solar System. There is also evidence that the vast majority of planetary systems become unstable after the removal of the protoplanetary disk. The effects of this instability are very different depending on the masses of the planets involved. Our Solar System also experienced a global instability, but fortuitously our giant planets did not develop large orbital eccentricities.

On March 30, 2026, CHPS members gathered at the Kalamazoo Room in the Michigan League (Visiting CHPS) for a collaborative event focused on developing deeper inter-departmental research connections.

The agenda included two-slide introductions from each participant (one on individual expertise and science interests, one on CHPS-related research questions of interest), followed by table discussions on the potential for larger-scale unified collaboration efforts at the $150–200K level that could span multiple participating departments.

The goal was to identify deep, signature collaborations that go beyond modest individual investigator grants and bring together cross-disciplinary teams.

The center revealed selected projects from its inaugural funding round, officially approved November 14, 2025. Research areas encompassed planetary interiors, atmospheres, stellar activity, dust and gas interactions, biogeochemical processes, and community modeling resources.

The Center for Habitable Planetary Systems issued its 2025 Call for Proposals on October 3, 2025, inviting faculty across affiliated departments (Astronomy, CLaSP, EES, and Physics) to submit proposals for center activities.

Large proposals (> $10K USD) were due October 24, 2025, with reviews completed within two weeks. Small proposals (< $10K USD) were accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.

For the current year's call, see Funding.

CHPS was officially established in July 2025, bringing together researchers across multiple disciplines to explore the origins, evolution, and diversity of habitable worlds and address fundamental questions about planetary habitability.