03/20/2026
By Amanda Vozzo
Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Time: 4 - 5 p.m.
Location: Olsen 503
Charles Law, NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP) Sagan Fellow, Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia will give a talk on “Protoplanetary Disk Chemistry as a Window into Planet Formation”
Abstract: Planets are born in dusty, gas-rich disks around young stars, and the architectures, atmospheres, and potential habitability of exoplanetary systems reflect the conditions within these birth environments. In this talk, I will show how recent advances with facilities such as ALMA and JWST are transforming our ability to probe the structure, composition, and chemistry of protoplanetary disks in unprecedented detail. These observations reveal disks that are far from simple but are instead rich in gas and dust substructures that play a key role in shaping how and where planets form. I will also highlight our efforts to use molecular line emission to trace the earliest stages of this process, providing a new pathway to directly identify young protoplanets still embedded in their natal disks. Finally, I will look ahead to how the upcoming wideband era of radio astronomy is poised to open new frontiers in disk chemistry, planet formation, and molecular astrophysics.
Bio: Charles Law is a NASA Sagan Fellow at the University of Virginia, having previously completed both his undergraduate studies and doctorate in astrophysics at Harvard University. His research focuses on the chemistry of star and planet formation. He uses observations from radio telescopes such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to characterize the chemical environments in which young planets are forming. As a member of the AAS Education Committee, Charles is also interested in science communication and is invested in increasing access and promoting engagement in astronomy and STEM fields.