STEM Shoutout: Dr. Diana Dragomir

New research assistant professor in UNM Physics and Astronomy studies composition, atmospheres and orbits of exoplanets in our galaxy

Dr. Diana Dragomir will join UNM as a new research assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in August 2019. In August 2020, she will be a tenure-track assistant professor.

Dragomir’s research focuses on discovering and studying exoplanets, which are planets orbiting stars other than our Sun.

“When you look up at a dark sky, we now know that almost every one of those pinpricks of light, every star basically, has at least one planet…Now I focus on understanding what those exoplanets are like, by studying their composition, atmospheres and orbits,” Dragomir said.

To find these exoplanets, Dragomir uses a telescope called TESS (Transiting Exoplanets Survey Satellite). This telescope has found over two dozen exoplanets and is expected to find many more. Dragomir led a paper called “TESS Delivers Its First Earth-sized Planet and a Warm Sub-Neptune” on a TESS discovery of small exoplanets, which included TESS’ first discovery of an Earth-size exoplanet.

“My main interest with TESS is in discovering and observing in more detail small exoplanets. But I am also interested in finding the longest-period exoplanets that TESS can detect…Long-period exoplanets are more difficult to find, but also more exciting, because their temperature will be lower so we think they might be more similar to the Solar System planets,” Dragomir said.

For the future, Dragomir hopes that her research will discover exactly how common Earth-like planets are.

“I think all of these ways of approaching the question of ‘Is there life elsewhere?’ are complementary, and necessary to get the closest-to-complete answer,” Dragomir said.