Dr. Samantha Lawler

Assistant Professor of Astronomy
B.S. Astrophysics (California Institute of Technology), M.A. Astronomy (Wesleyan University), Ph.D. (University of British Columbia)

samantha.lawler@uregina.ca
Phone: 306.359.1217 | Fax: 306.359.1200 | Office: CM 404

WEBSITE

http://uregina.ca/~slb861/

Research Interests

  • Formation and orbital evolution of the Kuiper Belt
  • Exoplanet orbital stability and dynamical interactions with planetesimal disks
  • Artificial satellite visibility and mitigation
  • Planetary habitability

Current Scholarly Projects

  • Ongoing observing project on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope to discover new Kuiper Belt Objects that are in the 3:2 Kozai resonance
  • Dynamical modelling of the Plutinos and distant mean-motion resonances in the Kuiper Belt
  • Dynamical modelling and observations of dust belts around distant stars, using facilities such as Gemini and ALMA
  • Observations and modelling of the visibility of megaconstellations of artificial satellites
  • Principal Investigator: NSERC grant “Understanding the Architecture of Planetary Systems”
  • Co-Investigator: NASA ROSES grant “Neptune’s Migration – The Origin and Evolution of the Kozai Plutinos”

Representative Publications