About Me

I am a rising 6th year graduate student working in exoplanets with Dr. Lauren Weiss. My research focuses on understanding what patterns emerge in planetary systems around other stars.

I received my M.S. degree from Notre Dame in December of 2024. I also received a B.S. degree in Astrophysics from Yale University in May 2018.

I am an avid sports fan. Born and raised in Ohio, I am a die-hard fan of the Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bengals, (The) Ohio State Buckeyes, and Columbus Blue Jackets. I also love motorsports, taking an interest in NASCAR, IndyCar, F1, IMSA, and WEC. I also love to watch and play golf (please do not ask my handicap, the number is very high).

Finally, I also love playing Dungeons & Dragons and have served as a Dungeon Master for several campaigns!

Research Interests

While NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope discovered that planetary systems predominantly contain planets with coplanar, circular, and equally spaced orbits, my thesis focuses on a set of planetary systems that do not appear to conform to this pattern. Specifically I am interested in planetary systems that have uneven spacing between uniformly sized planets. As such systems are occasionally observed and are often discovered to harbor a planet in their apparent gaps, my goal is to predict and find these potential "missing" planets.

Latest Publications:

  • Biases From Missing a Small Planet in High Multiplicity Systems , C. Alexander Thomas, Lauren M. Weiss, Matthias Y. He, (2025), Astrophysical Journal Letters, DOI:10.3847/2041/adcba1
  • A Tale of Two Peas-In-A-Pod: The Kepler-323 and Kepler-104 , Thomas et.al., (2024), Astrophysical Journal, DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/ad2840
  • For a complete, up to date, list of my work, click here

Selected Talks and Presentations:

  • Notre Dame Graduate Research Symposium -- April 2025 -- Title: Biases From Missing a Small Planet in High Multiplicity Systems
  • Great Lakes Exoplanet Area Meeting -- October 2023 -- Title: A Tale of Two Peas-In-A-Pod: The Kepler-323 and Kepler-104 Systems
  • Graduate Physics and Astronomy Society Annual Conference -- April 2023 -- Title: Measuring and Comparing the Masses of Five Uniformly Sized Planets in the Kepler-323 and Kepler-104 Systems

Notre Dame Graduate Physics and Astronomy Society (GPAS)

During my time in graduate school, I was honored with the opportunity of serving two terms on the Executive Board for GPAS as the representative for the astrophysics group. For this work, I was awarded the 2025 Graduate Student Leadership Award “For being a champion of the department, and for his encouragement, and infectious and steadfast passion and dedication to improving the lives of everyone around him." Highlights from my time on the board include:

Creation of a shared space for students

Worked with fellow grad students to transform an unused library space into a lounge and work area for both graduate and undergraduate students.

Creation of additional GPAS Committee

Worked with fellow grad students to create and launch the Gender Inclusivity Committee under the GPAS banner.

Growth of grad student involvement in the department

Worked with the chair of the department and the Director of Graduate Studies to expand the amount of faculty committees that graduate students have a seat on. In addition, we helped facilitate the creation of the department ombudsperson.

Want more information?

Check out my CV and/or reach out by email!