Prof. Natalie Hinkel is a planetary astrophysicist who studies elements in stars near to the Sun. Because stars and planets are formed together and from the same material, the composition of the host star can be used as a proxy for the planet. Understanding the planet’s composition gives important insight into the interior structure and mineralogy. These properties play a major role in the habitability of a planet, determining whether a small planet is a rocky Earth-like planet, an overly dense super-Mercury, or a light water-world/mini-Neptune.
As the cornerstone of her work, Dr. Hinkel developed and operates the largest database of elements measured inside stars, called the Hypatia Catalog (hypatiacatalog.com). The breadth (number of stars) and depth (number of elements) of data within the Hypatia Catalog makes it uniquely useful to explore physical and chemical stellar data as well as planetary properties. Prof. Hinkel’s work in these research areas involves collaborating with other interdisciplinary scientists who study geology, (astro)biology, and planets within the Solar system.
Dr. Hinkel completed a B.A. in Physics at Oberlin College in 2005 and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics at Arizona State University in 2012. Her postdoctoral work was done at the California Institute of Technology and Vanderbilt University. She joined Louisiana State University in 2023. George Takei (a.k.a. Mr. Sulu from the original Star Trek) once said Dr. Hinkel was “a trailblazer”.