Hi there!
I'm a second-year PhD student at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge. My research interests include planet formation and evolution, exoplanet demographics in the Galactic context, as well as astrophysical dynamics in a broad sense. My current work revolves around dynamical processes that may affect the formation of hot Jupiters in dense stellar environments.
Research
Flyby-induced high-eccentricity migration and the prevalence of hot Jupiters in M67
M. V. Kontiainen, C. J. Clarke, and A. J. Winter (in review)
> Poster presented at UKExoM, Bristol, March 2026
The Influence of Opacity on Inferred MHD Wave Signatures in the Lower Solar Atmosphere
S. J. Skirvin et al., including M. V. Kontiainen (2026) Front. Astron. Space Sci.
On hot Jupiters and stellar clustering: the role of host star demographics
M. V. Kontiainen, C. J. Clarke, and A. J. Winter (2025) MNRAS
> Poster presented at Detection and Dynamics of Exoplanets, Coimbra, July 2025
Outreach & Other Activities
Occasional musings (in Finnish) can be found on my Substack.
In my undergraduate days, I was a regular contributor to and the head copy editor of the Edinburgh University Science Magazine.
Get in Touch