Cristobal Petrovich

Cristobal Petrovich

I study the formation and dynamical evolution of planetary systems, with a focus on exoplanet dynamics, migration, tides, and orbital architectures.

CV

Cristobal Petrovich

Associate Professor of Astronomy
Indiana University Bloomington
📧 cpetrovi@iu.edu
🌐 www.cpetrovich.com

Research Interests

Exoplanet dynamics and the formation and evolution of planetary systems, including orbital migration, secular dynamics, planet–planet interactions, and the dynamical origins of Neptune-mass planets.

Academic Appointments

Indiana University Bloomington — Associate Professor of Astronomy (2024–present)

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile — Assistant Professor, Institute of Astrophysics (2020–2023)

University of Arizona — Bart J. Bok Postdoctoral Fellow (2019–2020)

Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) — CITA Postdoctoral Fellow & Gruber Foundation Fellow (2015–2019)

Education

Princeton University — Ph.D. Astrophysical Sciences (2015)
Advisor: Scott Tremaine

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
B.Sc. Astronomy (2008)

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Mathematical Engineering (2009)

Grants as Principal Investigator

  • NSF AST-2511257 (2025–2028)
    Explaining the Curious Orbits of Eccentric Warm Jupiters ($610k total)

  • FONDECYT Regular 1210425 (2021–2025)
    Inclination history of planetary systems

  • PAI Academia Installation Grant (2020–2023)

Publications

  • 63 refereed papers (29 first-author or student-led)
  • ADS citations: 2700+
  • h-index: 28

Selected work includes studies of:

  • secular dynamics of planetary systems
  • high-eccentricity migration of giant planets
  • planet–disk interactions and resonance dynamics
  • gravitational wave sources from stellar dynamics

Mentoring

Supervised 18 students, leading to 13 publications (12 student-led).

Includes PhD students, master’s students, and undergraduate theses at CITA, IU, PUC, and other institutions.

Teaching

Courses taught include:

  • Solar System (Indiana University)
  • Exoplanets (Indiana University)
  • Astronomy Seminar (Indiana University)
  • Planetary and Stellar Dynamics (PUC)
  • Planets Across the Universe (PUC)

Professional Service

  • Reviewer for NASA, NSF, STFC, and FONDECYT programs
  • Referee for major journals including ApJ, AJ, MNRAS, A&A, and Nature Astronomy
  • Member of the American Astronomical Society and Division on Dynamical Astronomy
  • Committee member of the Division on Dynamical Astronomy

A full CV including publications and talks is available here.