Hayley Beltz Selected for NASA Hubble Fellowship
Congratulations to Hayley Beltz for being awarded a prestigious NASA Hubble Fellowship!
Hayley Beltz, Postdoctoral Researcher
Hayley Beltz, who earned her Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Michigan in 2023, has been named a Sagan Fellow as part of the NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP). A native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Hayley earned her bachelor’s degree from Kalamazoo College before joining U-M to work with Professor Emily Rauscher on the atmospheric dynamics of extreme worlds. Following a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Maryland, she joined the University of Kansas in 2026.
As a Sagan Fellow, Hayley will pursue her research project, “From Magnetic Fields to Measurable Signals: 3D MHD Modeling of Sub-Jovian Exoplanets.” Her work uses advanced 3D magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modeling to explore how magnetic effects influence the atmospheric circulation of gas giants. This research will produce the first MHD-motivated observational predictions for sub-Jovian objects to help interpret data from JWST and ground-based telescopes.
To read more about the 2026 NHFP fellows, please follow this link to STScI.
Congratulations, Hayley!
Marbely Micolta Named 51 Pegasi b Fellow
Congratulations to Marbely Micolta for being selected as a Heising-Simons 51 Pegasi b Fellow!
Marbely Micolta, Ph.D. Candidate
Marbely Micolta, who will receive her Ph.D. in Astronomy and Scientific Computing from the University of Michigan this summer, has been awarded a prestigious 51 Pegasi b Fellowship by the Heising-Simons Foundation. As part of the program’s 10th class, Marbely will join Carnegie Science this fall to study the "cosmic construction sites" that build stars and planets.
Marbely’s research focuses on protoplanetary disks—the gas and dust around young stars that serve as the raw material for planets. She developed a new method to investigate planet formation by measuring whether key rock-forming elements are missing from a star’s immediate surroundings, suggesting they have gathered to form planetary cores. Beyond her research, Marbely has been a vital part of the U-M community as a co-organizer for Astronomía en Español, an affinity group highlighting Latin American contributions to the field.
To read more about the award and the 2026 cohort, please visit the Heising-Simons Foundation.
Congratulations, Marbely!
Rachel Bowens-Rubin Wins NASA Hubble Fellowship
Congratulations to Rachel Bowens-Rubin for being awarded a NASA Hubble Fellowship!
Rachel Bowens-Rubin, Postdoctoral Researcher
Rachel Bowens-Rubin, currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan and a Principal Investigator at Eureka Scientific, has been selected as a Sagan Fellow within the NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP). After earning degrees from MIT and her Ph.D. from UC Santa Cruz in 2024, Rachel served as a winterover technician in Antarctica before joining U-M. This fall, she will move to Harvard University to pursue her fellowship research.
Rachel’s work focuses on using direct imaging to characterize worlds that resemble those in our own solar system. As a Sagan Fellow, she will lead programs using JWST and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to detect cold giant exoplanets at the threshold between ice and gas giants. Her research will also develop new methods to study the rings and moons likely to accompany these worlds. Outside of the lab, Rachel is an accomplished playwright who enjoys sharing science through the theater.
To read more about the NHFP and this year’s awardees, please follow this link to STScI.
Congratulations, Rachel!
