TESS–Gaia Light Curve: A PSF-based TESS FFI Light-curve Product
Turning raw TESS full-frame images into precision light curves—released as a MAST HLSP that now underpins community time-domain science.
Astrophysicist & Planet Hunter
Te Han
Postdoctoral Associate at MIT, working in the TESS office at the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. I build surveys and data tools that reveal how planets grow around stars of every kind.
About
Mapping the next generation of worlds
I’m an astronomer who loves turning huge, messy datasets into clear stories about planets and the stars they orbit. I build tools and methods that help uncover what standard surveys might overlook — from better TESS photometry to new ways of combining transits, radial velocities, and results from the GEMS survey.
I care about making data not just accurate, but useful — for myself and for the broader community. I like solving tricky problems, sharing what I learn, and building things that help others explore how planets form, evolve, and survive around some of the most extreme stars of the galaxy.
Current focus
- Measuring planet demographics with the GEMS survey and NEIDSpecMatch.
- Launching SURFSUP to catch the youngest, fastest-spinning stellar hosts.
On deck
- TWIRL — the TESS White dwarf Investigation of Remnant pLanets, a search for surviving worlds around WDs.
Research
Selected work
Building shared infrastructure for exoplanet discovery while chasing the most revealing planetary systems.
Hundreds of TESS Exoplanets Might Be Larger than We Thought
Revealing a systematic radius bias in the TESS catalog by reanalyzing planets with TGLC light curves, revised stellar parameters, and updated inference.
TOI-5344 b: A Saturn-like Planet Orbiting a Super-solar Metallicity M0 Dwarf
Mapping giant planets around M dwarfs through the GEMS survey, highlighted by the TOI-5344 b discovery that probes formation across the lowest-mass stars.
Spotlight
Recent highlights
Talks, papers, and signals I am excited about right now.
Hundreds of TESS planets might be bigger than we thought
ApJL 2025: uncovering a systematic bias in measured radii using TGLC-informed modeling.
SURFSUP takes the stage
Early SURFSUP findings shared at CoolStars22 and Know Thy Star II, showcasing the youngest rotating systems.
TWIRL takes shape
Preparing the TESS White dwarf Investigation of Remnant pLanets to mine 200-s FFIs for post-main-sequence worlds with machine-learning vetting and TGLC photometry.
CV
Snapshot resume
Prefer the full document? Grab the PDF directly, or open the sections below for quick context.
B.S. in Physics
UC Santa Barbara
Advisor: Dr. Timothy Brandt
Physics Study Room Fellow & Learning Assistant
UC Santa Barbara
Lab Assistant
UC Santa Barbara
Ph.D. in Physics
UC Irvine
Advisor: Dr. Paul Robertson
Teaching Assistant
UC Irvine
Graduate Student Researcher
UC Irvine
Visiting Graduate Student
MIT
Postdoctoral Associate
MIT Kavli Institute
Advisor: Dr. George Ricker
Awards & honors
- Chancellor’s Fellowship, UC Irvine — 2021–2023
- Highest Honors (Honors at Graduation), UC Santa Barbara — 2017–2020
- Dean’s Honors (Letters & Science), UC Santa Barbara — 2018–2020
First-author publications
- TESS–Gaia Light Curve: A PSF-based TESS FFI Light-curve Product, Han & Brandt, AJ 165, 71 (2023). ADS
- TOI-5344 b: A Saturn-like Planet Orbiting a Super-solar Metallicity M0 Dwarf, Han et al., AJ 167, 4 (2024). ADS
- NEIDSpecMatch: Stellar Parameter Estimation with NEID Spectra Using an Empirical Library, Han et al., RNAAS 9, 63 (2025). ADS
- Hundreds of TESS Exoplanets Might Be Larger than We Thought, Han et al., ApJL 988, L4 (2025). ADS
- SURFSUP: Surveying Ultrafast Rotators For Superyoung Planets, Han et al., In preparation (2026).
- TESS–Gaia Light Curve: Photometric precision analysis and new functionalities, Han et al., In preparation (2026).
Talks & posters
- Invited: Caltech/IPAC Lunch Seminar — The radius bias of TESS exoplanets · Apr 2025
- Invited: TESS Science Talk, MIT (Remote) — TGLC Technical Details · Apr 2024
- Invited: ExoSoCal 2023, Caltech — TOI-5344 b as a GEMS planet · Dec 2023
- Invited: TESS Science Talk, MIT — TGLC Methods · Aug 2023
- Contributed: TESS Science Conference III, MIT — TGLC Performance · Jul 2024
- Contributed: TESS Mission Update, MIT — GEMS progress · Jun 2023
- Poster: Know Thy Star, Caltech — SURFSUP highlights · Feb 2025
- Poster: Cool Stars 22, UC San Diego — SURFSUP early results · Jun 2024
Skills
- Programming: Python
- Research & data: Ground-based telescope planning & observing (Shane 3-m, HET, WIYN), Exoplanet modeling, Radial velocity analysis, Light curve analysis, Spectra analysis, 3D modeling
- Technical tools: Deep space astrophotography, DSLR/drone photography, 3D printing
- Communication: Public speaking, Teaching, Science writing, TEDx organizer (TEDxHarbinNo3HighSchool)
- Languages: Chinese (Native), English (Fluent)
Contact
Let's collaborate
Have an idea, a dataset, or a mission concept? I would love to hear about it.
Email: tehan@mit.edu
Office: MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Room 37-438N