Luke Morriss FRAS MInstP

Profile

I graduated from the University of Leicester with an MPhys in Physics with Astrophysics in 2024. My interest in planetary systems and their formation led me to join the University of Leeds in 2025 as a PhD researcher in the School of Physics and Astronomy. I am supervised by Dr Richard Booth and Dr Stuart Lumsden. My doctoral research investigates how giant planet formation shapes disc evolution and sculpts subsequent planet formation.

Research interests

My research focuses on understanding how forming giant planets influence the compositions of protoplanetary discs and the resulting effects on subsequent planet formation. I am investigating how the interaction between a forming giant planet and the surrounding disc alters the transport of gas, dust and chemical species, shaping the environments in which other planets form. Through numerical modelling, I explore how giant planets affect the distribution of material throughout protoplanetary discs and the implications this has for planet formation. Looking ahead, I will use the population of long-period giant planets identified by Gaia Data Release 4 (DR4) to test theoretical models of giant planet formation and evolution, helping to connect predictions from simulations with the demographics of planetary systems observed throughout the Galaxy.

Links

• Email
  • L.Morriss.pgr@leeds.ac.uk
• ORCID
  • https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4408-1597
• GitHub
  • https://github.com/luke-morriss

Qualifications

• MPhys Physics with Astrophysics

Research groups and institutes

• Astrophysics
• Astrophysics