Résumé

Centre for Planetary Science and Habitability Prize Postdoc Fellow, UT Austin
Email: saugata.barat@austin.utexas.edu
ORCID: 0009-0000-6113-0157

Research interests 

  • Atmospheric characterization of low mass planets
  • Planet formation and early evolution
  • Atmospheric modelling and retrievals
  • Detection and validation of young transiting planets

United Astronomy Thesaurus keywords:  Exoplanet atmospheres, Exoplanet atmospheric composition, Exoplanet atmospheric evolution

Work experience

  • CPSH Postdoc Fellow, UT Austin                                              Jun 2026- present
  • Postdoc Associate, MIT Kavli Institute, USA                            Apr 2025-May 2026
  • Adjunct Researcher, Uni. South Queensland, Australia             Apr 2025-May 2026
  • PhD, Uni. of Amsterdam, Netherlands                                       Nov 2020-Nov 2024

Advisor, Jean-Michel Désert

Thesis title: “Exoplanets through time: Atmospheric characterization of young transiting planets to trace signatures of early evolution”  

  Doctoral thesis: Thesis

 Education

  • MSc (Physics), Presidency University, India      GPA: 8.8/10                        2018-2020
  • BSc  (Physics), Presidency University, India      GPA: 8.5/10                        2015-2018

  Publications

First author:

Submitted/In review:

  • “An Extended Escaping Tail of Hydrogen and Helium in a Young super-Earth Progenitor”, Barat et al
Link
  • “Investigating potential causes for high inferred internal temperatures of warm transiting planets”, Barat et al
Link
  • “JWST Unveils a High Mean Molecular Weight Atmosphere for Mini-Neptune TOI-1130 b: Evidence for Formation Beyond the Water Ice Line”, Barat et al, ApJ Letters, 2026, doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ae5f8b
  • “A metal-poor atmosphere with a hot interior for a young sub-Neptune progenitor: JWST/NIRSpec transmission spectrum of V1298 Tau b”, Barat et. al, Astronomical Journal, 2025, doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/adec89
  • “First comparative exoplanetology within a transiting multi-planet system: Comparing the atmospheres of V1298 Tau b and c”, Barat et. al, Astronomy&Astropysics, 2024, doi:   10.1051/0004-6361/202451127
  • “Locating the GeV emission region in the jets of blazars from months time-scale multiwavelength outbursts”, Barat et. al, MNRAS, 2022, doi: 10.1093/mnras/stac1852

2nd-4th author/part of a large collaboration:

  • “Location of a sample of GeV and optical outbursts in the jets of blazars”, Kundu, Bala, Barat et. al, MNRAS, 2025, doi: 10.1093/mnras/staf744
  • “Seasonal Changes in the Atmosphere of HD 80606 b Observed with JWST NIRSpec/G395H”, Sikora, Rowe, Splinter, Barat et. al, AJ, 2025, doi:   10.3847/1538-3881/addfda 
  • “Updated Planetary Mass Constraints of the Young V1298 Tau System Using MAROON-X”, Sikora, Rowe, Barat et. al, AJ, 2023, doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/acc865
  • “Early Release Science of the Exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRSpec G395H”

Alderson et. al, Nature, 2022, doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-05591-3  (Tier 1 author)

  • “Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRSpec PRISM”

Rustamkulov et. al, Nature, 2022, doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-05677-y  (Tier 2 author) 

  • “Direct Evidence of Photochemistry in an Exoplanet Atmosphere”

              Tsai et. al, Nature 2022,  doi:   10.1038/s41586-023-05902-2

Other co-author papers

  •  “Spectroscopically Resolved Partial Phase Curve of the Rapid Heating and Cooling of the Highly Eccentric Hot Jupiter HAT-P-2b with WFC3”, Jacobs et al, 2025, AJ, doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/ad9b2a
  • “Probing Reflection from Aerosols with the Near-infrared Dayside Spectrum of WASP-80b”, Jacobs et. al, 2023, ApJ, doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/acfee9
  • “A strong H− opacity signal in the near-infrared emission spectrum of the ultra-hot Jupiter KELT-9b”, Jacobs et al, 2022, A&A, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202244533

Awards and fellowships

  • CPSH Prize Postdoctoral Fellowship, UT Austin ($240k  funding)
  • LMU Geoastronomy fellowship 2026
  • INSPIRE fellow, Department of Science and Technology, India, 2015
  • Jagadish Bose National Talent Search (JBNSTS) scholar, 2015
  • “Best Visiting Student Research Project” award, Dept. of Astronomy and Astrophysics, TIFR (2019)

Selected Invited Talks/Seminars

Invited talk

  • “Exoplanets through time: First glimpse of the atmospheres of young transiting planets”, IIA, India, November 2025
  • “Exoplanets through time: First glimpse of the atmospheres of young transiting planets”, IISc, India, November 2025
  • “Exoplanets through time: First glimpse of the atmospheres of young transiting planets”, IIT Kanpur, India, November 2025
  • “Exoplanets through time: First glimpse of the atmospheres of young transiting planets”, IIST, India, November 2025
  • “Exoplanets through time: First glimpse of the atmospheres of young transiting planets”, Dartmouth college, USA, September 2025
  • “Exoplanets through time: First glimpse of the atmospheres of young transiting planets”, MIT Kavli Institute, USA, September 2025
  • “Exoplanets through time: First glimpse of the atmospheres of young transiting planets”,Harvard CfA, USA, September 2025
  • “Exoplanets through time: First glimpse of the atmospheres of young transiting planets”,NISER, Bhubaneswar, India, February 2025
  • “Exoplanets through time: First glimpse of the atmospheres of young transiting planets”, Ashoka University, India, January 2025
  • “V1298 Tau: A window into planet formation and early evolution”

NISER, Bhubaneswar, India, August 2023

  • “V1298 Tau: A window into planet formation and early evolution”

IIT Kanpur, India, August 2023

  • “V1298 Tau: A window into planet formation and early evolution”

TIFR, Mumbai, India, August 2023

  • “V1298 Tau: A window into planet formation and early evolution”

IISER, Kolkata, India, August 2023

  • “V1298 Tau: A window into planet formation and early evolution”

Imperial College, London, UK, July 2023

 Contributed talk

  • “Exoplanets through time: First glimpse of the atmospheres of young transiting planets”,ERES conference, Princeton, USA, June 2025
  • “Exoplanets through time: First glimpse of the atmospheres of young transiting planets”, Boston Area Planetary Science meeting, MIT, USA, June 2025
  • “Exoplanets through time: First glimpse of the atmospheres of young transiting planets”,Astronomical Society of India, NIT Roorkee, India, June 2025
  • “V1298 Tau: A window into planet formation and early evolution”

Exoclimes V,  Leiden, Netherlands, July 2024

  • “V1298 Tau: A window into planet formation and early evolution”

Strange New Worlds Conference, IISER Pune, India, August 2023

  • “V1298 Tau: A window into planet formation and early evolution”

Holland Area Exoplanet meeting, ESTEC ESA, Nordwijk, Netherlands, June 2023

  • “V1298 Tau system: a freshly baked product of planet formation”

Europlanet Science Congress, Grenada, Spain, October 2022

Posters

  • “Exoplanets through time: First glimpse of the atmospheres of young transiting planets”,Exoclimes VI,  Montreeal, Canada, July 2025
  • “V1298 Tau: An evolving sub-Neptune/super-Earth progenitor”

Exoclimes VI, Exeter, UK, June 2023

  • “V1298 Tau: An evolving sub-Neptune/super-Earth progenitor”

ESLAB, ESTEC ESA, Nordwijk, Netherlands, March 2023

  • “Constraining planet formation with atmospheric observations of the V1298 Tau system”

In the Spirit of Lyot conference, Leiden, Netherlands, June 2022

Grants and successful proposals

  • “FOURCAST: FOUR-planet Comparative AtmoSpheric Escape in a benchmark young multi-planet system”, JWST Cycle 5 GO: 11831, PI: Saugata Barat ($270k funding)
  • “Tracing the early evolution of exoplanets”, LCO Key project, PI:Adam Krauss, Co-I: Saugata Barat
  • “Testing primordial spin-disk obliquity within the benchmark TOI-1130 system”, Magellan 2025b, PI: Saugata Barat
  • “An evolving gas dwarf or a freshly formed water world?”, CHEOPS AO-6 PR26000, PI: Saugata Barat
  • “Testing the sensitivity limit of mass characterization using  transmission spectroscopy of exoplanets”, UROP Summer Research grant, MIT, 2025 (for Ella Sheffiield)
  • “KRONOS: Keys to Revealing the Origin and Nature Of sub-neptune Systems”, JWST Cycle 3, PID: 5959, PI: Feinstein, Co-I: Saugata Barat
  • “Detecting ongoing gas-to-solid nucleation on the ultra-hot planet WASP-76 b”, JWST Cycle 3, PID: 6045, PI: Baeyens, Co-I: Saugata Barat ($30k funding)
  • “Clear as day: Constraining the thermal structure and photochemistry on WASP-39 b’s day side”, JWST Cycle 3, PID: 5634, PI: Baeyens, Co-I: Saugata Barat ($40k funding)
  • “The nature, origin, and fate of two planets of a newborn system through the lens of their relative atmospheric properties”, JWST (PID: 2149), PI: Jean-Michel Désert, Co-I: Saugata Barat 
  • “Photoevaporation in two young warm Neptunes in the same system via the He I 1083nm line”

OPTICON reference 23B038,  PI: Jean-Michel Désert, Co-I: Saugata Barat

  • “V1298 Tau b: the youngest planet with an atmosphere ever observed”, SPIRou reference 23BD02, PI: Florian Debras, Co-I: Saugata Barat

Teaching and mentoring

  • Mentoring Ella Sheffield for Undergraduate Research project (UROP funded), MIT, Project title: “Testing the sensitivity limit of mass characterization using  transmission spectroscopy of exoplanets”
  • Co-supervising Zane Collins for Undergraduate Research project, MIT, Project title: “Investigating the properties of the Solar Gravitational Lens Telescope”
  • Co-Supervisor for Bachelors project of Noud Hover, University of Amsterdam (2022)

Thesis: “Using transiting exoplanet atmospheres to understand giant planet formation”

  • Co-Supervisor for Bachelor project of  Lena Spaan, University of Amsterdam, (2022)

Thesis: “Design and construction of a data reduction and extraction pipeline for the Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE)”

  • Co-Instructor for Bachelors course “Planetary Systems”, University of Amsterdam (2023)
  • Teaching Assistant for the Bachelors course “Planetary Systems”, University of Amsterdam  (2021, 2022)

Workshop conducted

  • Exoplanet atmosphere workshop entitled “Exoplanet atmospheres: A journey from electrons to molecules”, IISER Kolkata, March 2025.

Professional service

  • Peer reviewer in AAS journals
  • Member of DEI committee, API, University of Amsterdam

Selected Press coverage

Outreach activities

  • Pint of View Speaker, Delhi, India, 2026
  • Lectures on Tap Speaker, Boston, USA, May 2026
  • Pint of View Speaker, Bengaluru, India, Nov 2025
  • Pint of View Speaker, Mumbai, India, Nov 2025
  • Mentoring high school students in collaboration with Teach for India (2023)
  • Part of outreach team, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam (2022-2023)
  • Published paper review in popular astronomy journal (https://cosmicvarta.in/ultra-bright_blazar_emissions_suagata)

Scientific computing experience

  • Proficient in Python and Fortran
  • Data reduction pipelines for HST and JWST
  • Custom software for exoplanet light curve modelling
  • Exoplanet spectral modelling codes used: PetitRADTRANS, PLATON

Academic memberships

  • Lifetime member of Astronomical Society of India (ASI)

References

  • Prof. Jean-Michel Désert (PhD advisor), University of Amsterdam                                                              Email: J.M.L.B.Desert@uva.nl
  • Prof. Sara Seager, MIT Earth and Planetary Sciences, Email: seager@mit.edu