Let me briefly introduce myself! My name is Andrea Isella. I am an astronomer and, since July 2014, a faculty member in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rice University. I moved to Rice from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena (CA), where I worked for several years as a postdoctoral scholar first and research faculty later. Before that, I lived in Italy, where I studied between Milano, Padova, and Firenze.

My main field of research is the study of planet formation. I am mainly an observational astronomer, meaning I use the largest telescopes on Earth and in space to peek into the life of newborn stars and witness the birth of planetary systems. This is a fantastic and unique opportunity to understand the origins of the many planetary systems discovered in the last twenty years and our own Solar system.

On this web page, you will find the latest scientific results achieved by this group and the available research opportunities for students and postdoctoral scholars.