Ilse Cleeves head shot

Ilse Cleeves

Ph.D. student, University of Michigan

Ilse Cleeves is an astronomy Ph.D. student at the University of Michigan working with Professor Edwin (Ted) Bergin. Her research focuses on understanding the molecular and physical origins of planetary systems such as our own. By using clues from interstellar molecular emission, she studies young planetary systems in formation around low-mass stars, i.e. protoplanetary disks: the very materials from which planets, comets, and other solar system bodies eventually form.

Latest Planetary Radio Appearances

Ancient Water Was Here Before the Sun

Ilse Cleeves is lead author of a paper that concludes up to half of our solar system’s water is older than the solar system itself. The implications for life across the galaxy are profound.