Dr Mei Ting Mak

I was recently featured by the Croucher Foundation in an article titled “Peering Through the Haze.” The piece highlights my research on atmospheric haze in exoplanets, exploring how these tiny suspended particles shape the circulation and climate of distant worlds and affect how we observe them through telescopes. I discussed the challenges of modelling haze using 3D models and how my work aims to bridge the gap between complex simulations and what we can detect from real observations.

In this interview with the Institute of Physics as a 2021 Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund awardee, I discuss what drives my research on exoplanet atmospheres and why understanding haze is critical for interpreting planetary observations. I share what drew me to physics, the challenges I’ve faced, and how this scholarship will support my journey studying atmospheric dynamics in planets beyond our Solar System.