Observatory Fellow Alumni
Stephen Schmidt
![Stephen Schmidt](https://md.spacegrant.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/picture_stephen-284x300.png)
Stephen Schmidt was an Observatory Fellow for the 2023-2024 academic year. He is a graduate student at the Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. His research focuses on using space- and ground-based telescopes to study the characteristics of exoplanets, their host stars, and exoplanet systems in their entirety.
William Balmer
![W Balmer photo](https://md.spacegrant.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/wb-vlt-profile-picture-225x300.jpg)
William Balmer was the Observatory Fellow for the 2022-2023 academic year. They are a graduate student at the Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, doing research focused on exoplanet and substellar object composition, evolution, dynamics, and formation using ground, space, and interferometric telescopes.
John Soltis
![image of John S](https://md.spacegrant.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/John-S.jpeg)
John Soltis was an Observatory Fellow during the 2021-2022 academic year. He is a graduate student at the Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. His research focuses on using galaxy clusters to study cosmology, with a side interest in advanced computational and statistical methods.
Brian Healy
![B Healy photo](https://md.spacegrant.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/B_Healy_portrait_photo-150x150.jpg)
Brian Healy was an Observatory Fellow during the 2021-2022 academic year. He was a graduate student at the Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. His thesis research focused on determining the rotation axis orientations of stars in clusters, seeking to learn whether stars that were born together display evidence of their common formation through the alignment of their spins. Brian graduated in spring 2022 — congrats, Brian!
Alex de la Vega
![Alex de la Vega](https://md.spacegrant.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/alex_delavega_headshot-225x300.jpg)
Alex de la Vega was an Observatory Fellow from 2020-2021 as a graduate student at the Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. His research focused on the physical processes that end star formation in galaxies, and more broadly how to understand galaxy evolution through interpreting their spectral energy distributions. Alex graduated in summer 2022, congratulations Alex!!
Jacob Hamer
![Photo of Jacob Hamer](https://md.spacegrant.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Jacob-Hamer-250x300.jpg)
Jacob Hamer was an Observatory Fellow during 2019-2020. As a graduate student at the Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, his research focused on the evolution of exoplanetary systems. Jacob graduated in summer 2022. Congratulations, Jacob!
Erini Lambrides
![Erini Lambrides](https://md.spacegrant.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/erini-headshot-300x210.jpg)
Erini Lambrides held the Observatory Fellowship from 2016-2019. She obtained her Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Her research interests surround understanding the relationship between active central supermassive blackholes and the galaxies they lie within.