People

Trent B. Thomas

Trent B. Thomas

(Current) Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Washington - UW ESS UW AB

(Starting Fall 2026) MIT EAPS Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow and MIT Dean's School of Science Fellow

  • Ph.D. Earth and Space Sciences and Astrobiology (Dual-Title), University of Washington, Seattle (expected June 2026)
  • B.S. Astrophysics, UCLA, 2020
  •  
  • tbthomas@uw.edu
  • Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

I am originally from Southern New Jersey, just outside of Philadelphia. I am a passionate fan of Philadelphia sports teams, as painful as it may be, and I have a particular interest in analyzing and visualizing sports data. In my free time, I am an avid soccer player, runner, and reader.

To me, planets are fascinating examples of systems with complex behavior that emerges from a large number of interacting parts. The mathematical structure behind this behavior can be found elsewhere in unexpected places. I search for these other places by exploring the intersection of art, mathematics, and science in pursuit of the computational beauty of nature.

Current Student Mentees

Join the Group

As a postdoctoral fellow at MIT, I am looking to provide research mentorship for undergraduate and graduate students starting Fall 2026. If you are interested in the research we do and you'd like to join us, please reach out via email.

Specific research opportunities will be posted here as they are released.