Dr. Marrick Braam

Marrick Braam
marrick.braam@unibe.ch

I am a CSH Postdoctoral Fellow based at the Center for Space and Habitability of the University of Bern. My main research interests are (exo)planetary science, atmospheric chemistry and prebiotic chemistry. Previously, I was a joint PhD student at the University of Edinburgh and KU Leuven, as part of the Marie Curie ITN CHAMELEON.

My current work focuses on investigating the environmental potential for the origin of life on exoplanets, using sophisticated models of atmospheric physics and chemistry and the Early Earth as a starting point.

Building upon decades of insights from the Earth System science community, I am investigating the 3-D atmospheric dynamics and chemistry of oxygenated exoplanets. I use a 3-D Coupled Climate-Chemistry Model, consisting of the UK Met Office Unified Model (UM) and the UK Chemistry and Aerosol framework (UKCA). The adaptation of the UM to study exoplanets is led by the EETG group in Exeter, whereas we modified UKCA to describe the atmospheric chemistry on planets around other stars. Understanding the atmospheric physics and chemistry of exoplanets is essential to determining habitability and interpreting spectroscopic observations.

The atmospheres of gaseous planets also fascinate me. At the high atmospheric temperatures of hot Jupiters, we expect exotic metallic species in the gas phase. The presence of such species can teach us about atmospheric chemistry and dynamics and give insights into planet formation.