Dr Sérgio Sousa
Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço
In this lecture, the bases of the methods used by Astronomers to detect exoplanets will be presented, as well as a summary of the types of planets found orbiting other stars. Observation instruments and strategies to characterize exoplanets will also be addressed. Finally, some clues given by the observations for the theory of formation and evolution of planetary systems will be addressed.
Dr sérgio Sousa has a degree in Physics / Applied Mathematics (branch of Astronomy) in 1999. After completing his Masters in Astronomy, he completed his PhD in Astronomy divided between the universities of Porto and Lisbon with a topic focused on the characterization of stars with planets. This was followed by a 6-year post-doctorate at the Astrophysics Center of the University of Porto where he also spent part of his time at the Canary Islands Astrophysics Institute. In the meantime, he also graduated in Computer Engineering at the Instituto Superior Politécnico do Porto on an after-work basis. He returned 100% to Porto with an Investigador FCT contract for 5 years, and in 2020 started a new contract within the scope of the FCT Research Stimulation, at the Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences, CAUP / UP. At the moment he is strongly involved in two major projects in the area of the study of exoplanets: ESPRESSO, and CHEOPS. Since 2018 he has also been the national representative on the technical and scientific committee of the European Southern Observatory (ESO).