"The Search for Habitable-Zone Planets around the Nearest Stars: Challenges, Opportunities and Side Quests"

Abstract: In this talk I will discuss the challenges associated with the discovery of terrestrial mass planets orbiting in the Habitable Zones of the nearest stars, and how these challenges have required us to develop extraordinarily stable and sensitive spectrometer in the optical and near-infrared to measure the subtle Doppler wobble introduced by these planets. These tools, coupled with new analysis techniques are beginning to reveal such planets, but highlighting also the challenges of stellar activity. I will discuss the development and evolution of some of these instruments (HPF & NEID) and the progress being made in tacking stellar activity. I will also highlight some of the discoveries made along the way, like the most eccentric transiting planet, a rare population of giant planets transiting M dwarfs, the confirmation of GAIA’s first astrometric exoplanet discovery, and systems which offer us unique insights into spots and activity.