ExoSLAM Summer School
3rd to 5th July, 2025, Université de Montréal, QC, CA

From light to knowledge: data reduction and analysis techniques for exoplanet atmosphere characterization

The ExoSLAM summer school will be held at Campus MIL at Université de Montréal on the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning (3-5 July) prior to Exoclimes VII. The summer school is aimed at students working towards their Master's or PhD in exoplanet science, as well as postdocs who are new to the field. Through a series of lectures and hands-on tutorials, ExoSLAM will offer participants a crash course in state-of-the-art methods to reduce, analyze, and interpret observations from space-based and ground-based telescopes. Furthermore, there will be lectures focusing on statistical methods as well as machine learning applications in astrophysics. A breakdown of the program can be found below:

  • Lecture 1: An overview of observing techniques to study exoplanet atmospheres
  • Lecture 2: Algorithms and statistical methods for exoplanet science
  • Lecture 3: An introduction to JWST data-reduction pipelines
  • Tutorial 1: Reducing JWST time-series observations
  • Lecture 4: From transmission to emission: radiative transfer in a nutshell
  • Lecture 5: An introduction to atmospheric retrieval methods
  • Lecture 6: Observing exoplanet atmospheres from the ground with high-resolution spectroscopy
  • Tutorial 2: Reducing and analysing high-resolution observations with the Starships framework
  • Panel Discussion: Navigating life as an early-career scientist
  • Lecture 7: An overview of machine-learning techniques in exoplanet science and astrophysics
ExoSLAM Schedule

ExoSLAM Schedule

Time
08:00 AM
09:00 AM
09:15 AM
09:30 AM
09:45 AM
10:00 AM
10:15 AM
10:30 AM
10:45 AM
11:00 AM
11:15 AM
11:30 AM
11:45 AM
12:00 PM
12:15 PM
12:30 PM
12:45 PM
13:00 PM
14:15 PM
14:30 PM
14:45 PM
15:00 PM
15:15 PM
15:30 PM
15:45 PM
16:00 PM
16:15 PM
16:30 PM
16:45 PM
17:00 PM
17:15 PM
17:30 PM
18:30 PM
Thursday 3 July
Breakfast & Coffee
Welcome and IntroductionJoost Wardenier
Mini-lectures, part I:
  • Transmission spectroscopy
  • Emission spectroscopy and eclipse mapping
  • Phase curves and reflected light
Pierre-Alexis Roy, Louis-Phillipe Coulombe, & Jared Splinter
Buffer for questions and discussion
Coffee break
Mini-lectures, part II
  • Direct imaging
  • Single-line observations and atmospheric escape
  • Polluted white dwarfs
Clémence Fontanive, Romain Allart, & Érika Le Bourdais
Buffer for questions and discussion
Lecture: Algorithms and statistical methods for exoplanet studies Thomas Vandal
Lunch break
Lecture: JWST data reduction Michael Radica & Taylor Bell
Tutorial: JWST data reduction (30 min) Michael Radica & Taylor Bell
Coffee break
Tutorial: JWST data reduction (90 min) Michael Radica & Taylor Bell
Dinner & Fun
Friday 4 July
Breakfast & Coffee
Lecture: Radiative transfer in a nutshellÉrika Le Bourdais & Joost Wardenier
Lecture: Introduction to atmospheric retrievalsCaroline Piaulet-Ghorayeb & Luis Welbanks
Coffee break
Buffer for questions and discussion
Lecture: High-resolution spectroscopyStevanus Nugroho & Stefan Pelletier
Buffer for questions and discussion
Lunch break
Tutorial: High-resolution retrievals with the Starships analysis framework (90 min)Georgia Mraz, Olivia Pereira, Mathis Bouffard, Romain Allart, & Joost Wardenier
Coffee break
Tutorial: High-resolution retrievals with the Starships analysis framework (30 min)Starships team
Panel discussion: Navigating life as an early career scientistLisa Dang, Taylor Bell, Chloe Fisher & Stevanus Nugroho
Moderated by Frédérique Baron
Dinner & Fun
Saturday 5 July
Breakfast & Coffee
Mini-lectures, part I
  • Introduction to machine learning
  • Machine learning for JWST data reduction
  • Machine learning for interior modeling
Salma Salhi & Vanesa Ramirez
Coffee break
Mini-lectures, part II
  • Machine learning for atmospheric retrievals
Chloe Fisher & Francisco Ardévol Martínez
Buffer for questions and discussion
Closing remarksJoost Wardenier

Organizing Committee

Person 1

Joost Wardenier (Chair)
Université de Montréal

Person 2

Romain Allart
Université de Montréal

Person 4

Vigneshwaran Krishnamurthy
McGill University

Person 5

Érika Le Bourdais
Université de Montréal

Person 6

Salma Salhi
Université de Montréal

Person 7

Jared Splinter
McGill University

Person 7

Thomas Vandal
Université de Montréal