Marvin Morgan -- Astronomer/Physicist

Marvin K. Morgan II

I'm a Astronomer

About

Welcome to my academic webpage. My name is Marvin Morgan and I am a fifth year graduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara pursuing a Ph.D. in Physics and Astrophysics. I work with Professor Brendan P. Bowler on using historical records of extrasolar planetary system architectures and orbits to understand how giant extrasolar planets form and evolve from both theoretical models and observational data. I utilize ground and space based observatories, such as the James Webb Space Telescope, Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, Kepler space telescope, W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, Hobby-Eberly Telescope in West Texas, and MINERVA-Australis in Australia to establish the relative importance of giant planet migration channels.

Prior to attending UCSB, I graduated with Distinction in Physics, a Bachelors of Arts in Physics & Astrophysics, and a Master of Science in Physics & Astronomy from the University of Pennsylvania. While at Penn, I worked with Professor Robyn Sanderson, Professor Konstantin Batygin (Caltech), and Professor Darryl Seligman (Michigan State University) on the dynamics and evoltuion of the giant planets in the early solar system. I then obtained a Master of Science in Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Texas at Austin working with Professor Bowler.

When I'm not solving fundamental problems in exoplanet astronomy, I enjoy working out and cooking. I was captain of the Men's Varsity Track and Field team at Penn where I was a two-ime Ivy League Champion and School record holder in the 60m Dash and a member of the Men's Varsity Track and Field team at Texas.

First Author Publications

17 Total Citations, Google Scholar h-index of 6

Significant Contribution Publications

113 Total Citations, Peer-Reviewed Papers

Students Mentored

Undergraduates

Hours of Teaching & Outreach

Lectures, Labs, Public Talks

Education

2017, The University of Pennsylvania

B.A., Physics with a Concentration in Astrophysics
M.S., Physics & Astronomy

2026, University of California, Santa Barbara

Candidate for Ph.D., Physics & Astronomy
Thesis: Testing the Origin of Giant Planets with Population-Level Eccentricities and Obliquities
Advisor: Dr. Brendan P. Bowler

2023, The University of Texas at Austin

M.A., Astronomy
Thesis: Signs of Similar Stellar Obliquity Distributions for Hot and Warm Jupiters Orbiting Cool Stars
Advisor: Dr. Brendan P. Bowler

Research Highlights

Select Awards & Honors

UT Austin College of Natural Sciences Graduate Continuing Fellowship (2025)
UT Austin College of Natural Sciences Mentoring Dean's Strategic Fellowship (2024)
Frank N. Edmonds, Jr. Memorial McDonald Observatory Fellowship Award Recipient (2023-2024)
McDonald Observatory Teten Excellence Fellowship Recipient (2021- 2023)
Prestigious Roy and Diana Vagelos Science Challenge Award (2020-2021)

Select PI Observing Programs

JWST/MIRI, 16.1 hours (2025)
HET/HPF, 82 hours (2022A - 2023A)
MINERVA-Australis, 225 hours (2022A - 2023A)

Research Interests

Early Solar System Evolution

The large-scale structure of the solar system has been shaped by a transient dynamical instability that may have been triggered by the interaction of the giant planets with a massive primordial disk of icy debris. We investigated the conditions under which this primordial disk could have coalesced into planets using analytic and numerical calculations. Our results favor a scenario wherein the dynamical instability of the outer solar system began immediately upon the dissipation of the gaseous nebula to avoid the overproduction of Earth-mass planets in the outer solar system.

Morgan, M., Seligman, D., and Batygin, K., 2021, ApJL, 917, L8.

Host Star Obliquities

Transiting giant planets provide a natural opportunity to examine stellar obliquities (spin-orbit orientations), which offer clues about the origin and dynamical histories of close-in planets. Hot Jupiters orbiting Sun-like stars show a tendency for obliquity alignment, suggesting that obliquities are rarely excited or that tidal realignment is common. However, the obliquity distribution is less clear for giant planets at wider separations where realignment mechanisms are not expected to operate.

Morgan, M., Bowler, B. P., Tran, Q. H., Petigura, E., Nagpal, V., and Blunt, S., 2024, AJ, 167, 48.

Media

Articles and videos featuring my academic and athletic work.

Services

Educator

Having worked with hundreds of students in physics and astronomy courses, I am passionate about building welcoming, productive spaces where students can thrive.

Mentor

Committed to mentorship, I have supported students from varied academic backgrounds as they move on to advanced degrees and professional roles in tech, finance, and academia.

Consultant

As a former Division I varsity track & field team captain and record holder at the University of Pennsylvania and UT Austin, I bring first-hand experience balancing elite athletics, rigorous academics, and high-level research — helping clients with performance and evidence-based decision-making.

Testimonials

Student Reviews for Astronomy 307: Introduction to Astronomy for Majors

Marvin was always super approachable before and after class time. He also fostered a welcoming environment during office hours.

Marvin was very thorough in explaining material and concepts and made sure to answer everyones questions in depth.

Marvin is awesome – always ready to answer any questions and help with problems, being available during class, after class, at office hours and extra study sessions.

Marvin was very helpful in explaining things, very nice and welcoming.

Marvin was always available to help with homework problems or answer any random questions, never imposing in the slightest. He also shared some of his current research with me, helping to draw connections between class material and real-world astronomy.

Contact

For any questions or inquiries, feel free to contact me.

Address

UC Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 93106

Email Me

marvinmorgan@ucsb.edu