Curriculum vitae
Academic profile
A concise overview of appointments, research leadership, supervision, teaching and interdisciplinary work. Updated August 2026.
Sebastián Pérez Márquez
Astrophysicist working on planet formation, disk dynamics, high-resolution observations and data-driven modelling
Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Universidad de Santiago de Chile
Summary
Associate Professor of Astrophysics at Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Director of CIRAS-AI, and current Alternate Director of the YEMS Millennium Nucleus, having led the successful proposal that established the Nucleus and served as its founding Director.
My research explores the formation and early evolution of planetary systems, from the dynamics of planet-forming disks to the detection and characterization of young planets and their environments. I also contribute to early-career training, public engagement and intercultural astronomy.
Leadership and appointments
- Director, CIRAS-AI, Universidad de Santiago de Chile
- Founding Director (2021–2024) and Alternate Director (2024–2027), Millennium Nucleus on Young Exoplanets and their Moons (YEMS)
- Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Universidad de Santiago de Chile
- Interim Director, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Astrophysics and Space Science (CIRAS), 2022–present
- Faculty Council Member, Faculty of Science, USACH (2023–present)
- Board Member (since 2023) and Vice President (since 2026), Planetario Chile
- Founding Member, Fundación Astrodiálogos
Education
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PhD in Astrophysics, University of Oxford (2006–2009)
Thesis: Inflow and outflow in stellar mass black holes -
BSc in Science, major in Astronomy, Universidad de Chile (2002–2005)
Graduated with distinction
Previous research appointments
- ANID–Gemini Postdoctoral Fellow, Universidad de Chile (2018–2019)
- FONDECYT Postdoctoral Fellow, Universidad de Chile (2014–2017)
- Researcher, Millennium Nucleus on Protoplanetary Disks (2011–2014)
- STFC Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Oxford (2009–2011)
Research
108 peer-reviewed publications on planet formation, protoplanetary and debris disks, disk kinematics, planet–disk interactions and eruptive young stellar objects, with more than 6,200 citations as of June 2026. Selected highlights and accessible summaries are available on the research page.
Complete publication lists: NASA ADS and Google Scholar.
Teaching and programme development
- Astrofísica de la Formación Planetaria
- Introducción a la Astrofísica
- Modelamiento en Astrofísica
- Desarrollo de Software en Astrofísica
- Development of the BSc in Astrophysics with a Data Science specialisation at USACH
Selected grants and programmes
- CIRAS-AI / FIU-USACH institutional project, Director (2026–2035)
- FONDECYT Regular 1231663, Principal Investigator (2023–2027)
- Millennium Nucleus YEMS and YEMS2, Director / Alternate Director (2021–2027)
- MIT Global Seed Fund, Principal Investigator
- FONDECYT Regular 1191934, Principal Investigator (2019–2023)
Interdisciplinary and public work
- Founding Member, Fundación Astrodiálogos
- Creator and Director, Concierto Cielos
- Author, Bitácora planetaria: Cazadores de Eclipses (LOM Ediciones)
- Alumnus, Scientific Delirium Madness art–science residency at Djerassi
Methods and technical experience
- Millimetre and infrared observations, interferometric imaging and disk kinematics
- Hydrodynamics: FARGO3D and related numerical methods
- Radiative transfer: RADMC-3D and synthetic observations
- Programming and scientific computing: Python, C, CUDA and data-driven methods