A little about me
I am an astrophysicist working to understand our place in the Universe. My research focuses on the atmospheres, interiors, and formation mechanisms of both exoplanets and the planets within our Solar System. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, I was always curious and knew I was going to be a scientist. I pursued my B.S. in Astronomy from La Plata National University, graduating in 2007. My doctoral work, completed in 2011, revolved around the formation of planetary systems, and I was honored to be supported by the CONICET during this period. My postdoc years took me to the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (2011-2014), where I delved into exoplanetary atmospheric chemistry. From 2015 to 2017, I was at the Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur with a H. Poincare and later a CNES fellowship, where I studied giant planets’ interiors and started my journey as part of the Juno mission science team. In 2018, I accepted a position as a professor at Leiden Observatory. Further expanding my research horizons, I also affiliated with SRON in 2020. My work at both institutions has been centered around the intricate study of (exo)planetary atmospheres and interiors, aiming to provide a more comprehensive understanding of planetary evolution and origins. I am also proud to mention that since 2023 I have been the Principal Investigator for the ERC consolidator grant N-GINE.
UNVEILING THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE
© JUNO
Research
Research Interests: Exploring (Exo)Planet Interiors and Atmospheres
Humankind has long been captivated by the existence of worlds beyond our own. Now, in this pivotal era, we’ve identified over 6000 exoplanets, each revealing the astounding diversity of planetary conditions and reshaping our understanding of the cosmos. My research delves deep into the intricacies of exoplanet interiors and atmospheres, as well as the giants within our own solar system. By doing so, I aim to unravel the mysteries of how planetary systems—and potentially life-supporting conditions—are formed. Dive into some highlights and updates from my research journey below.
Space Missions Collaborations
- Dutch co-PI of the ESA Ariel mission
- Dutch member of the Core Science Team for the ESA Plato mission
- Science team member of the NASA Juno mission
- co-PI of the NASA Mantis cubeSat mission
Fellowships and Awards
- Pastoor Schmeits Prize for astronomers of special merit (the Netherlands) (2025).
- Teacher of the year award. Leiden University (2024).
- European research council (ERC) consolidator grant, PI (2023 to 2028).
- GO grant, Dutch research council (NWO), Netherlands, PI (2023 to 2027).
- Open Competition grant, Dutch research council (NWO), Netherlands, 2PIs (2023 to 2027).
- NWA Innovative projects awarded for an art-science collaboration, PI (2025)
- NASA Honor Award, for Early Career contribution to the Juno prime mission (2023).
- NASA grant for the Astrophysics Research and Analysis Program, awarded for the construction and exploitation of MANTIS mission, one out of 25 co-PIs (2023)
- PEPSci grant, Dutch research council (NWO), Netherlands (2020 to 2024).
- CNES fellowship (2016 to 2018).
- Henri Poincare fellowhip (2015).
- CONICET typeI and II Graduate Fellowship, Argentina (2007 to 2011)
- Joaquin V. Gonzalez Award, to the best GPA Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina (2007)
Invited Talks and Colloquia
My work has led to frequent invitations to present research at leading international institutes and conferences. Since becoming an independent researcher, I have delivered more than 50 invited colloquia at universities and research institutes worldwide, as well as more than 60 conference presentations, including more than 30 invited talks, keynote lectures and review presentations. These invitations reflect the international impact of my research.
I have presented invited colloquia at institutions including the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Exeter, St Andrews and UCL, and the Royal Observatory Edinburgh (UK); MIT, Princeton University, the University of Chicago, Carnegie Institution for Science, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, UC Santa Cruz and NASA Goddard (USA); the Max Planck Institutes for Extraterrestrial Physics, Solar System Research and Astronomy, and University of Potsdam (Germany); KU Leuven (Belgium); ASIAA (Taiwan); and the Universities of Bern and Zurich and the Observatory of Geneva (Switzerland), among many others.
Upcoming in 2026
- Invited talk at the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS) meeting, August 2026.
- Invited colloquium at the Observatory of Geneva, November 2026.
The Leiden Planetary Lab
Members
Postdocs
- Keren Duer-Milner
- Emily Sandford
- Solene Ulmer-Moll (Oort Fellow)
PhD students
- Louis Siebenaler
- Leoni Janssen
- Vanesa Ramirez
- Esther van Dijk
Master students
- Saphira Brandenberger
- Joep Noorhoek
Former Members
Postdocs
- Mantas Zilinskas
- Amy Louca
PhD students
- Mantas Zilinskas
- Amy Louca
- Christiaan van Buchem
- Maite Wilhelm (Co-advisor)
Master students
- Pepijn Lankhorst
- Christos Thomopoulos
- Esther van Dijk
- Benjamin Silk
- Viktoria Kecskemethy
- Rojita Buddhacharya
- Peter Breslin
- Sanne Bloot
- Julius Hendrix
- Yuan Chen
- Spandan Dash
- Naadiyah Jagga
- Alaya Havana
- Amy Louca
- Marit Mol Lous
- Vanesa Ramirez
- Frank Rensen
- Christopher Seay
PASSING ON THE KNOWLEDGE
Stellar Structure & Evolution - Class of 2018
Science Communication
Teaching: I see teaching as a challenge and a way of learning. I have been teaching assistant from 2005 until 2011, and started as a lecturer in 2018. I taught “Stellar Structure and Evolution” a course for master students in 2018 and 2019 and developed the course “Exoplanets A: Interiors and Atmospheres” for master students at Leiden Observatory that I’ve been teaching since 2020 and allowed me to get the “Teacher of the Year Award” in 2024.
Outreach: One important part of my development as a scientist has been to stimulate interest and curiosity for science, sharing my research with the community and inspiring future scientists. I have presented more than 50 invited public colloquia and have been involved in numerous public activies since 2000. Some highlights:
2026: Mequation art-science collaboration. Working with artist Thijs Biersteker, I developed the scientific model behind an interactive artwork that calculates the probability of a person’s existence. The installation premiered at SXSW London. Leiden University feature.
2025: Interview for the Rockeando Ciencia podcast. We discussed giant planets, the NASA Juno mission and the ESA Ariel mission. Listen to the interview.
2025: NWA grant for Art-Science collaboration. Working with artist Thijs Biersteker. Piece to be ready in October 2025. Press release.
2024: Interview for New Scientist. I discussed how knowledge of our Solar System can be connected with exoplanet research. Read the interview.
2023: Participation in the makings of the musical “Women in Space” — Jupiter character. Trailer of the show.
2022: Science and Cocktails talk., with 300 people, at Paradiso, Amsterdam. Watch the talk on YouTube.
2021: Talk for the LWSK (amateur club).
2021: Talk for the amateur club “Euroster” of Rotterdam.
2020: Outreach talk on Characterisation of Exoplanets for the program “Universiteit van Nederland” (recorded in a TV studio in MediaPark Hilversum). Watch it here.
2020: Public talk at the Pale Blue Dot Symposium. Webpage
2018: TEDx RiodelaPlata speaker, with more than 2500 people(!), at Colon theater, Buenos Aires Argentina. Watch it here (in Spanish).
2018: Member of the collaborators team of “Ciencia del Sur” - a website for science outreach in latinamerica.
SWIM BIKE RUN
Doing Sports
I swim since I am a kid, started running about 7 years ago, and recently added biking and bouldering to my list of frequent sports. I now combine all that -all but bouldering- and train for triathlons.
Why? Because doing sports is good! It is not only good for your health, but it also helps to release stress, to improve efficiency, and to have a fresher mind at work. It helps you solving problems.
In cold rainy days it can be hard to go outside and train. To keep myself on check on such days, I always setup a goal (often a competition I want to run), which besides of being super fun, keeps my motivation high :)
You can find me @
ymiguel@strw.leidenuniv.nl
Leiden Observatory
Niels Bohrweg 2
2333 CA Leiden, The Netherlands
