Paola Pinilla
2026 United Kingdom Award Finalist — Faculty
Current Position:
Associate Professor
Institution:
University College London
Discipline:
Astrophysics & Cosmology
Recognised for: Groundbreaking work on planetary formation showing how pressure differences help gather dust particles in localized regions around young stars, allowing their growth from grains to planets.
Areas of Research Interest and Expertise:
Star and Planet Formation, Protoplanetary Discs, Exoplanets
Previous Positions:
- PhD, University of Heidelberg, Germany (Advisor: Prof. Cornelis P. Dullemond)
- Postdoctoral Researcher, Leiden University, The Netherlands (Advisor: Prof. Ewine van Dishoeck)
- NASA Hubble Fellow, University of Arizona (Advisor: Prof. Andrew N. Youdin)
- Independent Research Group Leader, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Germany
- Associate Professor, University College London, UK
Research Summary:
Planets form in discs of gas and dust around young stars, but scientists face a puzzle: dust particles should spiral into the star before they can grow into planets. Work by Paola Pinilla, PhD, solves that problem by identifying "pressure bumps" in these discs that trap dust particles, allowing them to clump together. Using advanced telescopes and computer models, Pinilla studies these planet-forming discs, predicts where planets are forming, and tracks how water and organic compounds—the building blocks of life—reach forming planets. This work helps us understand how planetary systems, like our own Solar System, came to exist.
“Our work is deepening our understanding of the first steps of planet formation using theoretical models and observations of discs around young stars. As Carl Sagan once said, “The cosmos is within us. We are made of star stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.”
Key Publications:
- P. Pinilla, A. Pohl, S. M. Stammler. Dust Density Distribution and Imaging Analysis of Different Ice Lines in Protoplanetary Disks, ApJ, 2017.
- P. Pinilla, M. Tazzari, I. Pascucci, A. N., Youdin, A. Garufi, C. F. Manara, L. Testi, G. van der Plas, S. A. Barenfeld, H. Canovas, E. G. Cox, N. P. Hendler, L. M. Pérez, N. van der Marel. Homogeneous Analysis of the Dust Morphology of Transition Disks Observed with ALMA: Investigating Dust Trapping and the Origin of the Cavities, ApJ, 2018.
- P. Pinilla, C. Lenz, S. M. Stammler. Growing and trapping pebbles with fragile collisions of particles in protoplanetary disks, A&A, 2021.
- P. Pinilla, M. Benisty, R. Walters, J. Bae, S. Facchini. Survival of the long-lived inner disk of PDS70, A&A, 2024.
Other Honors:
2025 Price Medal – Royal Astronomical Society
2024 New Horizons in Physics Award – Breakthrough Foundation
2023-2028 Starting Grant – European Research Council
2020 Ludwig Biermann Award – German Astronomical Society
2018 Sofja Kovalevskaja Award – Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
2016 Hubble Fellowship – NASA
2012 Patzer Prize – Max Planck Institute for Astronomy and University of Heidelberg