My name is Daniel Dupkala, and I am a second-year PhD student of astrophysics at Trinity College Dublin. I am from Slovakia, I studied in Prague, Czech Republic, and currently I live with my wife in Sabadell, Spain (a city close to Barcelona, but further from the sea, sadly…).
On this webpage, I present my research and my interests. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
My Research
Overview My research is focused on exoplanets – planets outside of our Solar System. Thanks to the space missions such as Kepler and TESS, the James Webb Space Telescope, and ground-based observatories (VLT in Chile), we are now able to study them in detail and with greater precision than ever before. I study their atmospheres, focusing on Hot Jupiters. Those are gas giants (like our Jupiter), but orbiting very close to their parent stars. When an exoplanet transits in front of its host star, stellar light passes through its atmosphere. This provides us with valuable information about the planet. Hot Jupiters are great targets for observations due to their large atmospheres and close orbits. To learn more about exoplanets, check out my Brief Exoplanet Guide.
Current focus In my work, I focus on the transiting Hot Jupiters. I analyze the spectroscopic observations – both high-resolution spectroscopy from ground-based facilities (ESPRESSO, HARPS, etc.), and low-resolution spectroscopy from space telescopes (JWST). We perform atmospheric retrievals to learn about the chemical species and processes in the atmosphere.
Both methods give us slightly different information. In order to study exoplanets in detail, their combination is key. Usually, the data are processed and analyzed separately, followed by broader interpretation. The goal of my research is to combine these two methods and analyze them together. Performing these joint retrievals, we could get much better precision. Potentially, it could also be used for combining datasets of different wavelengths (e.g., optical and near infrared light). Here, you can find out more about my current work and research interests.
Previous work During my bachelors and masters studies at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic I was a member of the Exoplanet group at the Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences. We focused on follow up observations of Kepler and Tess exoplanet candidates via radial velocity measurements. In addition to data reduction and analysis, I was observing with the 2-meter Perek Telescope at Ondrejov observatory of the CAS (over 100 observation nights).
Affiliation My postgraduate research is supervised by Assoc. Prof. Neale Gibson at School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin and it is funded by the IRC Government of Ireland Scholarship. You can check our Exoplanet Atmospheres group’s web page.
Outreach
Exoplanets In addition to working on my research project, I really like to give talks and lectures about exoplanets and astronomy to anyone who is interested in the topics. I gave a few dozen talks to various audiences – elementary and high school students, physics students, and the general public. For several years, I worked as a demonstrator at a local observatory. You can check the outreach activities I organized or participated in the link below. If you would like to invite me to give a talk/lecture – either in person or online – let me know.
FYKOS During my university studies in Prague, I was a leader of the student group FYKOS, which consists of around 50 college students. I was a head organizer of the international physics competition Fyziklani and participated in organizing many other educational activities and events (not only) for high school students. This experience taught me a lot – and obviously I like to talk about it! If you are interested into my FYKOS endeavours, check the link below.
Traveling
Passion One of my character traits is curiosity. Sure, for a scientist, it is crucial to be curious. However, my curiosity goes beyond the scientific research. I love to know things – how everything works and why… I guess it is this curiosity that my passion for traveling comes from. Fortunately, as an astronomer, I have some extra opportunities to travel around the globe.
I still haven’t seen much of the world; most of my trips are to European countries. I have also visited Asia. Actually, I spent there two months in spring 2023 as part of the FYKOS Expedition. As a true nerd, I love to keep track of statistics. Therefore, you can check the list of countries I visited or my full flight history. From time to time, I will add some stories from my journeys to my traveling blog.
Photography
Fun Of course, what a traveler I would be without taking too many pictures. Take that, professional deformation from astronomical imaging, and you have a homemade photographer. Subtract money for proper equipment, and you have an amateur photographer! However, I have been lucky to take a few nice images, which I would like to share with you in my gallery (in progress).
PR photos Thanks to my experience with FYKOS and other outreach activities, I have worked on my photographic skills. Lately, I have been taking a few photoshoots of research groups or outreach events for PR purposes (such as lab portraits for web pages, pictures of lab equipment and experiments for outreach material, etc.). I am not a pro, but I have a some solid experience in taking these types of photos. As a scientist and outreach specialist, I can advise and help you to present you research in the best way possible. You can check my portfolio and contact me, if you would be interested in arranging a photoshoot or other help.
Teaching and Tutoring
Teaching I did my Master’s in Physics and Math education. Therefore, I am accredited as a secondary and high school teacher of these two subjects. For two and a half years, I taught Math classes at Secondary Technical School - SPŠST Panská in Prague, Czech Republic. Through my participation at FYKOS, I also worked with talented students in STEM subjects. I presented our work at several national conferences for educators. During my studies, I was a member of a working group focused on the psychological well-being of students at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University. I also worked as a student mentor for physics undergraduates for two years.
Mentoring As a young researcher, I have been facing various problems and obstacles in my studies and my career. As an example, I struggled with Math (yep, even me), time management, and setting priorities. Eventually, I have managed to overcome these issues. What helped me a great deal were my friends and colleagues, who advised me and supported me. Based on my experiences, both professional and personal, I would love to help other students and young people in their careers. If you feel you could use my help, let me know! I am happy to chat with you. I am open to potential mid and long-term mentoring.
Math & Physics For several years, I was tutoring elementary and high school students in Math and Physics to help them with their studies or in preparation for high school or college applications. Currently, I am not actively tutoring. In case you need urgent help, you can contact me in order to schedule a lesson. For online lessons, I take €17 - €20, depending on the subject and level.