Planetary interiors
What is inside a planet?
My PhD research focuses on planetary core evolution and composition, supervised by Dr. Tim Lichtenberg at the University of Groningen.
Doctoral research · 2026–present
PhD candidate · University of Groningen
Saphira Natalie
Brandenberger
Exploring how planets form,
evolve, and become habitable.
I am a PhD candidate in Astronomy at the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute in Groningen, the Netherlands. I study planets outside our Solar System, known as exoplanets. I am interested in their internal structure and composition, how these change over time, and how planets orbiting close to their stars form. My work aims to help us understand the diversity of planets and how their environments develop, including how conditions suitable for life might emerge.
Groningen, the Netherlands
01 / Research
Understanding other worlds.
From the protoplanetary disks where planets are born and take shape to the interiors hidden beneath their surfaces and atmospheres.
Exoplanet habitability
Which worlds should we look at?
For my master’s thesis, I developed FROH: a modular Python framework combining interior inference, liquid-water assessment, and observability to rank cold sub-Neptunes for habitability-motivated spectroscopic follow-up.
Leiden University · Dr. Yamila Miguel
Planet formation
How do planets get so close to their host star?
In my first master research project, I used N-body simulations to investigate how the inner edge of the protoplanetary gas-disk shapes the formation of ultra-short-period planets around late M dwarfs.
Leiden University · Dr. Nienke Van der Marel, Dr. Mariana Sanchez
Read the published work02 / Publications
Papers & work in progress.
The role of inner disk edges in shaping ultra-short-period planet systems around late M dwarfs
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 709, A115
Ranking cold sub-Neptunes for habitability-motivated atmospheric follow-up
Manuscript in preparation
03 / Curriculum vitae
My path in astronomy.
From Vienna to Leiden and Groningen, studying planets through numerical simulations and interior models.
Download full CV PDF2026–present
PhD in Astronomy
Kapteyn Astronomical Institute
University of Groningen
Planetary core evolution and composition
Supervisor: Dr. Tim Lichtenberg
2024–2026
MSc in Astronomy Research
Leiden University
Summa cum laude · GPA 9.15/10
2021–2024
BSc in Astronomy
University of Vienna
Thesis on exoplanet habitability, habitable zones, and alternative solvents
04 / Beyond research
Sharing astronomy.
I also like to share science through writing,
public lectures, and teaching.
Public speaking
Ocean worlds beyond Earth
For the 2026 Kaiser Spring Lectures at Leiden’s Old Observatory, I explored whether ocean worlds beyond Earth could be habitable.
Lecture detailsScience writing
Bringing research to readers
As a writer for Leiden Science Magazine, I have written about the search for another Earth and the Earth-unique conditions that make fire possible.
Is there an Earth 2.0?Teaching & observing
A shared view of the sky
I led observational tours at Vienna’s Urania Observatory from 2022 to 2024.
05 / Contact
Let's get in touch.
For research, collaboration, or astronomy outreach.