Kaiwen (Kevin) Chen

Kaiwen is a first-year student in John Abbott College’s science program. For as long as he can remember, his passion for space and mathematics has driven him to explore the complexity of the world around him. Kaiwen first felt inspired to pursue a career in astrophysics research while stargazing with professors at Waterloo’s Lloyd Auckland workshop. At the same time, Kaiwen also works in Pointe-Claire library as a teen animator and a supervisor to bring the passion to the new generations.

This summer, under the supervision of Dr Lisa Dang, he will identify planetary systems best suited to observing exoplanetary eclipses (when an exoplanet passes behind its star) and develop an observation experiment targeting gaseous exoplanets, helping to optimize the scientific yield of the Ariel (Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey) mission led by the European Space Agency (ESA) with a contribution from the Canadian Space Agency. He believes that this opportunity will let him thrive as a researcher and contribute to the academic community.