Projects per year
Personal profile
Research Interests
I am the head of the Exoplanet Group within the Astrophysics Research Centre in the School of Mathematics and Physics, as well as the Deputy Head of School. My research interests lie with discovering and characterising planets orbiting other stars - known as exoplanets. This work naturally attracts a lot of public and press attention, and has led to a number of global press releases over the years. As a result I have written expert articles for the BBC News, as well as filmed for BBC Horizon, as well as many recorded and live Radio and TV appearances across the UK, USA, and further afield.
My key interests lie with improving detection methods for 'weighing' exoplanets, in the push to confirming the first true (and so far, elusive!) 'Earth-analog' world outside our own solar system. In addition, I also dabble in characterising their atmospheres - and was recently part of a team that showed that it was possible with current techniques to find water in the atmospheres of super-Earths.
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 12 Finished
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R1396APL: PATT Travel Grant for Observational Astrophysics at QUB: 2020 - 2022
Jess, D. (PI), Fitzsimmons, A. (CoI), Keenan, F. (CoI), Mathioudakis, M. (CoI), Millar, T. (CoI), Milligan, R. (CoI), Schwamb, M. (CoI), Sim, S. (CoI), Smartt, S. (CoI), Watson, C. (CoI) & de Mooij, E. (CoI)
07/07/2020 → 31/03/2023
Project: Research
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R1099APL: STFC PhD Studentship Allocations 2019
Mathioudakis, M. (PI), Ballance, C. (CoI), Fitzsimmons, A. (CoI), Jess, D. (CoI), Keenan, F. (CoI), Millar, T. (CoI), Ramsbottom, C. (CoI), Riley, D. (CoI), Sarri, G. (CoI), Sim, S. (CoI), Smartt, S. (CoI) & Watson, C. (CoI)
11/08/2019 → 30/09/2023
Project: Research
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R1915APL: PATT Linked Grant for observational astrophysics at QUB: 2018 - 2020
Jess, D. (PI), Fitzsimmons, A. (CoI), Fraser, W. (CoI), Gibson, N. (CoI), Keenan, F. (CoI), Lacerda, P. (CoI), Maguire, K. (CoI), Mathioudakis, M. (CoI), Millar, T. (CoI), Sim, S. (CoI), Smartt, S. (CoI) & Watson, C. (CoI)
03/07/2018 → 31/03/2021
Project: Research
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R1711APL: QUB Astronomy Observation and Theory Consolodated Grant 2017-2020
Smartt, S. (PI), Ballance, C. (CoI), Gibson, N. (CoI), Keenan, F. (CoI), Kotak, R. (CoI), Maguire, K. (CoI), Millar, T. (CoI), Mueller, B. (CoI), Poppenhaeger, K. (CoI), Ramsbottom, C. (CoI), Riley, D. (CoI), Sarri, G. (CoI), Sim, S. (CoI) & Watson, C. (CoI)
20/01/2017 → 21/09/2021
Project: Research
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R1461APL: Supplement to Queen's University Belfast Consolidated Grant
Keenan, F. (PI), Fitzsimmons, A. (CoI), Kotak, R. (CoI), Mathioudakis, M. (CoI), Millar, T. (CoI), Ramsbottom, C. (CoI), Sim, S. (CoI), Smartt, S. (CoI) & Watson, C. (CoI)
02/09/2014 → 31/03/2015
Project: Research
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NGTS-EB-7, an eccentric, long-period, low-mass eclipsing binary
Rodel, T., Watson, C. A., Ulmer-Moll, S., Gill, S., Maxted, P. F. L., Casewell, S. L., Brahm, R., Wilson, T. G., Costes, J. C., Eschen, Y. N. E., Doyle, L., Freckelton, A. V., Alves, D. R., Apergis, I., Bayliss, D., Bouchy, F., Burleigh, M. R., Dumusque, X., Eberhardt, J. & Fernández, J. F. & 18 others, , Feb 2025, In: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 537, 1, p. 35–55 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile5 Downloads (Pure) -
A.C.I.D - an improved LSD technique for accurate line profile retrieval
Dolan, L. S., de Mooij, E. J. W., Watson, C. A. & Jackson, D. G., Apr 2024, In: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 529, 3, p. 2071–2086 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile28 Downloads (Pure) -
Correction to: Trio of super-Earth candidates orbiting K-dwarf HD 48948: a new habitable zone candidate
Dalal, S., Rescigno, F., Cretignier, M., Anna John, A., Majidi, F. Z., Malavolta, L., Mortier, A., Pinamonti, M., Buchhave, L. A., Haywood, R. D., Sozzetti, A., Dumusque, X., Lienhard, F., Rice, K., Vanderburg, A., Lakeland, B., Bonomo, A. S., Cameron, A. C., Damasso, M. & Affer, L. & 17 others, , Nov 2024, In: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 534, 3, p. 2410-2411 2 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › peer-review
Open AccessFile5 Downloads (Pure) -
Doppler tomography as a tool for characterizing exoplanet atmospheres – II. An analysis of HD 179949 b
Matthews, S. M., Watson, C. A., de Mooij, E. J. W., Marsh, T. R., Brogi, M., Merritt, S. R., Smith, K. W. & Steeghs, D., Jul 2024, In: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 531, 3, p. 3800-3814 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus)16 Downloads (Pure) -
Masses, revised radii, and a third planet candidate in the “Inverted” planetary system around TOI-1266
Cloutier, R., Greklek-McKeon, M., Wurmser, S., Cherubim, C., Gillis, E., Vanderburg, A., Hadden, S., Cadieux, C., Artigau, É., Vissapragada, S., Mortier, A., López-Morales, M., Latham, D. W., Knutson, H., Haywood, R. D., Pallé, E., Doyon, R., Cook, N., Andreuzzi, G. & Cecconi, M. & 23 others, , Jan 2024, In: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 527, 3, p. 5464-5483 20 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile7 Citations (Scopus)18 Downloads (Pure)
Prizes
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Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society
Watson, C. (Recipient), 2002
Prize: Election to learned society
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Activities
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CoolStars 21 splinter session: "Characterising stellar activity in the era of extreme radial velocity surveys of low-mass planets orbiting F-M stars"
Watson, C. (Member of the organising committee)
22 Jun 2020 → 26 Jun 2020Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in conference
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Public Talk to the Irish Astronomical Association - "The Terra Hunting Experiment: Finding alien Earth-like worlds"
Watson, C. (Invited speaker)
08 Jan 2020Activity: Talk or presentation types › Public lecture/debate/seminar
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International Space Science Institute - Towards Earth-like alien worlds: "Know thy star, know thy planet II"
Watson, C. (Organiser)
09 Sept 2019 → 13 Sept 2019Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in workshop, seminar, course
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International Space Science Institute - Towards Earth-like alien worlds: "Know thy star, know thy planet I"
Watson, C. (Organiser)
10 Dec 2018 → 14 Dec 2018Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in workshop, seminar, course
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Exoplanets: Past, present & Future
Watson, C. (Invited speaker)
08 Oct 2018Activity: Talk or presentation types › Public lecture/debate/seminar
Press/Media
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14th Feb 2019 - Facebook live stream on SuperEarths - hosted by QUB Communications Office
14/02/2019
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research
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5th Feb 2019 - BBC News story, "Cosmic pile-up gives glimpse of how planets are made"
05/02/2019
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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11th Jan 2017 - Radio Ulster interview for the Science and Stuff programme ("Anybody Out There")
01/11/2017
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities
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31st Oct 2017 - Monster planet discovery challenges formation theory
Poppenhaeger, K. & Watson, C. A.
31/10/2017
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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6th Sep 2017 - NASA press release - "X-rays Reveal Temperament of Possible Planet-hosting Stars"
06/09/2017
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
Impacts
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Engaging the Public in Science and Increasing Awareness of Physics and Astronomy
Fitzsimmons, A. (Participant), Duddy, S. (Participant), Hsieh, H. (Participant), Smartt, S. (Participant), Lowry, S. (Participant), Cegla, H. (Participant), Shelyag, S. (Participant), Moulds, V. (Participant), Mathioudakis, M. (Participant), Pollacco, D. (Participant), Burton, J. (Participant) & Watson, C. (Participant)
Impact: Societial Impact