Rachel M. Huchmala

Hi! I’m Rachel Huchmala, a postdoctoral researcher with Prof. Brian Jackson at Boise State University. I am a member of the Short Period Planets Group, aka SuPerPiG. My research involves using differential photometry to study the transits of Super-Hot and Ultra-Hot Jupiter Exoplanets. In addition to reserach, I run a program called Telescopes for Teachers, where we provide long-term loans of Unistellar eQuinox 2 telescopes to K-12 teachers in Idaho. As a part of the Central Idaho Dark Sky STEM Network (CIDSRSN), I mentor students and host star parties in the Treasure Valley.

In 2025, I am working to launch the SuPerPiG Observing Grid, where we will train participants of our Telescopes for Teachers program on how to take exoplanet transit observations and use their data to further our studies of tidal decay.

I haven’t always studied exoplanets though. My PhD work in in Quantum Chemistry, where I used Theoretical Spectroscopy to better understand the effects of hydrogen-bonding on the vibrational spectrum (near to mid-IR) of water. My interest in spectroscopy started when I was an undergraduate student and had the opportunity to work with data from the Mars Reconissance Orbiter to help in the chemical identification of perchlorate salts on Mars. After this project I was hooked on spectroscopy, space, and what we can learn about the universe from manipulating light.