Eleonora Alei, Ph.D.

• 

  2023 - Present

  NASA Postdoctoral Fellow

  NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

  Leading the development of the coronagraph exposure time calculator (ETC) with 2 publications in preparation. Leading the LIFE Science Community with monthly meetings and community papers. Collaborating with international scientists on atmospheric retrievals and radiative transfer intermodel comparisons. Maintaining exoplanet catalog used as source by the PLATO and LIFE teams for their input catalogs.
• 

  2020 - 2023

  Postdoctoral Researcher

  ETH Zurich

  Led the atmospheric modeling team for the LIFE mission concept, resulting in 5 high-impact publications by the core team. Developed the official LIFE atmospheric retrieval routine. Supervised 8 students and performed teaching duties for 6 semesters.
• 

  2016 - 2019

  Doctoral Researcher

  Università degli Studi di Padova - INAF Osservatorio di Padova

  Developed software for: handling exoplanet catalog data; modeling radiative-convective transfer and ozone photochemistry for terrestrial planets. The results of the models then recreated by biologists in the laboratory, to study the behavior of photosynthetic bacteria under exotic conditions.

• Recent Papers
• Research Activity
• Developer Experience

All LIFE HWO Catalogs Noise modeling Retrievals

2026 Distinguishing Earths and Neptunes with HWO photometry HWONoise modeling

Alei et al. (2026)

I have developed a multi-bandpass photometric strategy for the Habitable Worlds Observatory that improves our ability to distinguish Earth-like planets from Neptune-like planets during the discovery phase. This approach enables faster and more reliable identification of potentially habitable terrestrial planets, optimizing the scientific return of future direct-imaging missions.

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2025 Exo-MerCat: multi-source exoplanet catalog Catalogs

Alei et al. (2025)

I have developed an enhanced, open-source tool that efficiently merges exoplanet data from multiple catalogs, including newly added sources like TESS and K2. This offers researchers a more comprehensive, accurate, and user-friendly resource for exoplanet studies, thus advancing our ability to analyze and understand the diverse population of known exoplanets.

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2024 Finding Earth using both LIFE and HWO LIFEHWORetrievals

Alei et al. (2024)

Combining observations from future space missions like HWO and LIFE, operating in complementary spectral ranges (UV/VIS/NIR and MIR) significantly enhances our ability to characterize Earth-like exoplanets and detect potential biosignatures, paving the way for groundbreaking discoveries in the search for extraterrestrial life.

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2022 How LIFE can characterize the Earth through time LIFERetrievals

Alei et al. (2022)

By performing Bayesian retrievals on simulated mid-infrared spectra, I demonstrated that LIFE's baseline requirements are sufficient to identify key spectral features like CO2, H2O, O3, and CH4, effectively allowing us to distinguish between inhabited and lifeless scenarios for Earth-like planets.

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Exoplanet Atmospheric Characterization with Future Space Missions

I focus on exploring the potential of future space missions, such as LIFE (Large Interferometer For Exoplanets) and HWO (Habitable Worlds Observatory), for characterizing terrestrial exoplanets. This work involves developing atmospheric retrieval techniques, assessing the detectability of biosignatures, and defining science requirements for next-generation observatories aimed at finding life in the universe.

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Noise Modeling and Retrieval Techniques

I develop and apply advanced models for simulating observations and studying exoplanet atmospheres, with a focus on terrestrial planets. This includes work on noise simulators, radiative transfer models, and atmospheric retrieval frameworks.

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Exoplanet Data Management and Catalog Development

I create tools and methodologies for managing and analyzing exoplanet data. This includes the development of Exo-MerCat, a merged exoplanet catalog with Virtual Observatory connections. My work in this area aims to improve the accessibility and interoperability of exoplanet data, facilitating more efficient research and collaboration within the exoplanet science community.

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pyEDITH

Lead Developer | 2023 - Present

Developing Exposure Time Calculator for HWO coronagraph. Coordinating existing software and standards into a new user-friendly and flexible code.

GitHub Docs Zenodo

pyRetLIFE

Lead Developer | 2020 - Present

Coordinated developer team and oversaw development of official LIFE atmospheric retrieval routine, resulting in 5 high-impact publications.

GitHub Docs Article

Exo-MerCat

Lead Developer | 2019 - Present

Developed and maintained VO-aware Python code for collecting and selecting exoplanet data. Released open-source code and published 2 refereed papers.

GitHub Docs Article

petitRADTRANS

Contributing Developer | 2020 - 2023

Implemented surface scattering feature and enhanced Collision-Induced Absorption treatment. Refactored writing of absorption correlated-k calculation from FORTRAN to Python.

GitHub Reference

Talks & Videos

Public Engagement

Out of this World - Girls In Space

Robinson Nature Center, MD, USA, 2024 - 2026

Lectures for 1st-5th Grade Students

Scuola Amore Misericordioso, Rome, Italy, 2025