Dr Raphaelle Haywood

I'm a Senior Lecturer in Physics and Astronomy and Assistant Director of the Global Systems Institute (GSI) at the University of Exeter. I currently hold an STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowship for my astrophysics research on planets around other stars. I recently designed and now teach a new undergraduate, interdisciplinary and purpose-driven course on climate change (PHY2222). I am an elected member of Senate for the Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy.

Before joining Exeter, I was a NASA Sagan Fellow at Harvard University. I hold a Masters in Physics from Imperial College London, a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of St Andrews, and a Certificate in Sustainability from the Harvard Extension School. 

Astrophysics Research

I am an expert in detecting and characterising planets beyond our solar system, known as exoplanets. Specifically, my research focuses on understanding the natural variability of planet-hosting stars to better characterise the planets around them. In 2019 I advised NASA and the US National Science Foundation on designing a roadmap to discover Earth-like planets over the next decade. I am a member of Terra Hunting, a 10-year experiment dedicated to discovering Earth-like planets in the habitable zones of nearby stars.

Since 2018, I have been using astronomical observations from my research to provide essential context to the environmental challenges we face on Earth. I have written and talked extensively about Earth being our only home (e.g. see "There is no Planet B", published in Aeon in 2023). In collaboration with Earth system scientist Dr Arwen Nicholson and and molecular biologist Dr Daniel Duzdevich, I recently published an ESD Ideas piece calling on our colleagues to acknowledge the powerful stories emanating from their work. Scientists studying planets and life provide a vital perspective: humanity is deeply connected to Earth and its biosphere, with no escape from its history. Humanity is not above, or apart from, nature. Embracing this view is essential for shaping policies that ensure a sustainable future. I am also working in collaboration with Creative Writing scholar Dr Christine Lehnen on reframing the search for Earth-like exoplanets—not as a quest for escape, but as a means of deepening our understanding of Earth and inspiring environmental responsibility.

Community assemblies

I initiated and lead the GSI's series of community assemblies that brings students, staff and the local community together to share ideas on topics relating to climate change. I also help run assemblies in my local neighbourhood with Exeter Community Assembly.

Assemblies bring communities together to discuss an issue and reach conclusions about what they think should happen. They have been used as a form of participatory, deliberative democracy through human history, and enable decision-makers to understand people’s informed and considered preferences in issues that are complex, controversial, moral or constitutional. Most importantly, this participatory process brings out people's individual and collective agency, which is key to building communities more resilient to climate impacts. At the GSI, we are running assemblies to bridge disciplinary silos and co-produce solutions to the complex systemic issues that the world is now facing.