Education

2009 California Institute of Technology, B.S.
2014 San Jose State University, M.S.
2017 University of Colorado Boulder, M.S.
2021 University of Colorado Boulder, Ph.D.

Courses Taught

General Physics I

Career Specialties

Jessica Libby-Roberts is interested in the formation and evolution of other planets and planetary systems outside of our own Solar System.

Professional and Community Activities

Libby-Roberts' research focuses on three areas of exoplanetary science: discovering new worlds, understanding their atmospheres, and investigating the link between these planets and their host stars. To confirm planetary detections, she uses a broad range of observatories from both the ground and in space (e.g., Kanodia, Libby-Roberts et al. 2022, Libby-Roberts et al. 2023). For atmospheric characterization, Libby-Roberts utilizes Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope to observe atmospheric spectra, revealing planetary compositions (e.g. Libby-Roberts et al. 2020, 2022). These measurements present clues to planet formation, offer a comparative example with our Solar System, and provide a laboratory for atmospheric chemistry under extreme temperatures and pressures. Because planetary interpretation depends on understanding the host stars, she also investigates stellar activity using photometry and spectroscopy to map starspots, measure their properties, and quantify their influence on planetary measurements (e.g. Libby-Roberts et al. 2023, 2025).

Libby-Roberts is a member of both the Habitable-zone Planet Finder (HPF) and NEID spectrograph instrument team, and co-PI of the Gas Giants around M-Dwarf Stars (GEMS) JWST program.

Communicating science to the public is a core part of her work. Libby-Roberts co-organized the Science Under the Dome lecture series at the Fiske Planetarium for four years and presented at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. She also served as a scientific advisor for the How the Universe Works television series (episode on super-puffs) and helped contribute to press releases on exoplanet discoveries for Penn State and the University of Colorado.

Honors and Awards

2021 - 2024 Penn State's Center of Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds Postdoctoral Fellowship