{"links":{"self":"http://dataportal.arc.gov.au/NCGP/API/grants/FT250100662"},"data":{"type":"grant-details","id":"FT250100662","attributes":{"code":"FT250100662","administering-organisation":"The University of Newcastle","announcement-administering-organisation":"The University of Newcastle","scheme-name":"ARC Future Fellowships","grant-status":"Active","funding-commencement-year":2025,"years-funded":4,"project-start-date":"2026-06-30","anticipated-end-date":"2030-06-29","grant-summary":"Observing Water Worlds From Space: New Techniques to Beat the Noise. The quest to characterise atmospheres of rocky, Earth-like planets outside the solar system has made great strides, but instrument systematics and stellar variability impede further progress. This Fellowship will develop advanced analysis techniques to break through these noise floors, with immediate application to space telescope observations of water worlds, a newly discovered missing link between rocky planets and ice giants. Results enabled by these analyses will resolve a central debate about how planets form. Next-generation simulations of water world atmospheres will also be developed, exploiting exascale computing. The Fellowship will enhance Australian leadership in the exoplanet field, including the search for life beyond Earth.","funding-current":960324.00,"funding-at-announcement":940000,"investigators-current":[{"title":"Dr","firstName":"Thomas","familyName":"Evans-Soma","roleName":"Future Fellowship","roleCode":"FT","isFellowship":true,"orcidIdentifier":"0000-0001-5442-1300 "}],"investigators-at-announcement":[{"title":"Dr","firstName":"Thomas","familyName":"Evans-Soma","roleName":"Future Fellowship","roleCode":"FT","isFellowship":true,"orcidIdentifier":"0000-0001-5442-1300 "}],"organisations-current":[{"organisationName":"The University of Newcastle","roleName":"Administering Organisation","state":"NSW"}],"organisations-at-announcement":[{"organisationName":"The University of Newcastle","roleName":"Administering Organisation","state":"NSW"}],"field-of-research":[{"isPrimary":true,"code":"5101","name":"Astronomical Sciences","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":false,"code":"510109","name":"Stellar Astronomy and Planetary Systems","type":"FOR20"}],"socio-economic-objective":[{"code":"280120","name":"Expanding Knowledge In the Physical Sciences","type":"SEO20"}],"international-collaboration":["Canada","England","Germany","Ireland","United States of America"],"lief-register":[],"achievement-summary":null,"national-interest-test-statement":"The study of exoplanets – planets that orbit stars outside our solar system – can help us understand how planets form and develop. However, exoplanet research is hindered by telescope limitations and brightness variations across the surfaces of stars, similar to the light and dark spots we intermittently observe on the Sun. This Fellowship will develop advanced analysis techniques to overcome these challenges and enable more detailed study of exoplanet atmospheres. The initial focus will be on a class of exoplanets known as water worlds, which are comprised largely of water and intermediate in size to Earth and Neptune. Key questions on planet formation will be addressed and the foundation for future studies of smaller, Earth-like planets will be laid. The Fellowship will further strengthen Australia’s global standing in space research, through leadership of a major international James Webb Space Telescope program. Collaborations with partners in the UK, US, Germany, Ireland, and Canada will be deepened, bolstering Australia’s global research connections. Notably, this will include adaptation of the UK Met Office climate model for performing simulations of water world atmospheres, which in addition to advancing exoplanet research, will help keep Australia at the forefront of high-performance computing and climate modelling. The project’s findings will be shared beyond academia at public outreach events, through press releases, and engagement with local print and radio media."}}}