ANN ARBOR, MI – Marbely Micolta, a doctoral student in astronomy and scientific computing at the University of Michigan, has been selected as one of eight new 51 Pegasi b Fellows for 2026, one of the most competitive honors in the field of planetary astronomy.
“It’s been pretty surreal. This is one of the biggest fellowships in astronomy, especially in my field of astronomy,” said Micolta, whose research focuses on how planets form. “I don’t think the news has fully sunk in yet.”
The fellowship, established in 2017 by the Heising-Simons Foundation, received a record number of applications for 2026. Named after the first planet discovered outside our solar system that orbits a sun-like star, the fellowship provides a three-year grant covering salary, benefits, and flexible research-related spending…