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About

V. Van Grootel is a leading figure in the search for temperate, Earth-sized exoplanets, with a primary focus on ultracool dwarf stars. As a key architect of the SPECULOOS project (Search for Planets EClipsing ULtra-cOOl Stars), Van Grootel has driven the development of a network of robotic telescopes designed to hunt for rocky planets transiting the smallest and nearest stars in the solar neighborhood. This work is critical because transiting planets around ultracool dwarfs offer the most viable pathway for detailed atmospheric characterization with next-generation observatories like the James Webb Space Telescope. Van Grootel’s most cited paper (2020, 105 citations) outlines the survey’s strategy, while foundational papers (2018, 76 and 33 citations) describe the telescope network and the Southern Observatory’s operations. By targeting the ~1200 brightest ultracool dwarfs, Van Grootel’s research directly enables the detection of temperate terrestrial worlds whose atmospheres can be studied in transmission spectroscopy. This innovative approach places Van Grootel at the forefront of exoplanet science, bridging the gap between discovery and the detailed study of potentially habitable worlds.