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About

Imke de Pater is a planetary scientist whose research has made significant contributions to our understanding of the outer Solar System, particularly through the development and application of innovative observational techniques. Her work has been closely associated with the Taiwanese-American Occultation Survey (TAOS), a pioneering multi-telescope robotic observatory designed to detect and characterize Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) through stellar occultation events. By deploying an array of four fully automated 50 cm wide-field telescopes at Lulin Observatory in Taiwan, this project enabled the monitoring of thousands of stars simultaneously, generating hundreds of millions of photometric measurements in the search for small trans-Neptunian objects. De Pater's contributions extend to the statistical methodologies underpinning occultation surveys, helping establish rigorous frameworks for detecting these rare, fleeting events. Her most-cited works, accumulating nearly 60 citations collectively, reflect both the technical and analytical dimensions of her research. Beyond KBO science, her instrumentation work has demonstrated broader applicability, including the detection of early gamma-ray burst optical afterglows. Her efforts have helped shape modern understanding of the size distribution and population of icy bodies inhabiting the distant outer Solar System.