Konstantin Gerbig

RESEARCH:

I am a theoretical Astrophysicist focusing on planet formation theory and the astrophysics of protoplanetary disks. I am also interested in the orbital architectures of planet-hosting binaries, exoplanets, computational astrophysics and astrophysical fluids. As an Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Fellow, I focus on utilizing machine learning techniques to model and understand dust diffusion in protoplanetary disks – a process that critically regulates the initial stages of planet formation by setting the initial sizes of planetesimals.

BIO:

I started as a Schmidt AI in Science Fellow in Prof. Diana Powell’s group at the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago in September 2025. Before that, I was at Yale University, receiving a PhD in Astronomy in 2025 and MSc in 2023, and working with Prof. Greg Laughlin, Prof. Malena Rice (both Yale), Prof. Min-Kai Lin (ASIAA, Taiwan), and Prof. Andrew Vanderburg (MIT). Prior to Yale, I obtained a MSc in 2020, and a BSc (both in Physics) from Heidelberg University in Germany. During this time, I also worked at the Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg with Prof. Hubert Klahr and the Department of Astrophysics and Astronomy at UC Santa Cruz with Prof. Ruth Murray-Clay.