Research

First author:

A Five-Planet Resonant Chain: Reevaluation of the Kepler-80 System, MacDonald, M. G., Shakespeare, C. J., and Ragozzine, D., 2021, AJ
Forming Diverse Super-Earth Systems in Situ, MacDonald, M. G., Dawson, R. I., Morrison, S. J., Lee, E. J., and Khandelwal, A, 2020, ApJ, 891, 20
Examining the Radius Valley: a Machine Learning Approach, MacDonald, M. G. , 2019, MNRAS, 487, 4
Three Pathways for Observed Resonant Chains, MacDonald, M. G.  and Dawson, R. I., 2018, AJ, 156, 5
A Dynamical Analysis of the Kepler-80 System of Five Transiting Planets, MacDonald, M. G., Ragozzine, D., Fabrycky, D. C., et al. 2016, AJ, 152, 105 

Second author:

A Statistical Analysis of the Nulling Pulsar Population, Sheikh, S. Z. and MacDonald, M. G., 2021, MNRAS, 502, 4
Confirming the Longest 3:2 Resonant Chain of K2-138, Feil, L., MacDonald, M. G., Quinn, T., and Rice, D., 2021, submitted
Challenges of Radial Velocity Characterization of Systems with Tightly-spaced Inner Planets, Ragozzine, D. A., MacDonald, M. G., Tognetti, L. A., et al.,  submitted

Third+ author:

Chains of Planets in Mean Motion Resonances Arising from Oligarchic Growth, Morrison, S., Dawson, R. I, and MacDonald, M. G., 2020, ApJ, 904, 157
The Orbital Eccentricity of Small Planet Systems, Van Eylen, V., Albrecht, S., Huang, X., MacDonald, M. G., et al. 2019, AJ, 157, 61 

Invited Colloquia, Seminars, Lunch Talks

The Late-stage Formation and Dynamical Evolution of Super-Earth Exoplanets, Astrophysics Guest Lecture, Bridgewater State University (November 2020)
The Science Behind Terraforming State College Astronomy on Tap (June  2018) 
Do exoplanets migrate after they form?, A&A Board of Visitors (April 2018) 
Three Pathways for Observed Resonant Chains, Penn State Tuesday Lunch (March  2018) 

Contributed Conference Talks

Constraining the formation of super-Earths via resonances, AAS Division for Dynamical Astronomy Meeting, virtual (May 2021)
Confirming and characterizing the five-planet resonant chains of K2-138 and Kepler-80, AAS Division for Dynamical Astronomy Meeting (August 2020)
Establishing the Diversity of Super-Earth Systems with a Continuum of Formation Conditions, ERES V, Ithaca, NY (June 2019)
Masses of the Five Small Planets Around Kepler-80, AAS Division for Planetary Science Meeting, National Harbor, DC (November 2015)
Planetary System Demographics Featuring STIPs, Sagan Workshop, Pasadena, CA (July 2015)

Contributed Conference Posters

Exploring the Onset of Plate Tectonics on Terrestrial Planets Using Grain-Damage, Exoplanets III, (July 2020)
Establishing the Diversity of Super-Earth Systems with a Continuum of Formation Conditions, Winter AAS, Honolulu, HI (January 2020)
Establishing the Diversity of Super-Earth Systems with a Continuum of Formation Conditions, Extreme Solar Systems IV, Reykjavik, Iceland (August 2019)
Exploring the Onset of Plate Tectonics on Terrestrial Planets Using Grain-Damage, Sagan Workshop, Pasadena, CA (July 2019)
Exploring the Onset of Plate Tectonics on Terrestrial Planets Using Grain-Damage, Astrobiology Science Conference, Bellevue, WA (July 2019)
Three Pathways for Observed Resonant Chains, ERES IV, State College, PA (June 2018)
Disentangling the In-Situ Formation Conditions in Establishing the “Dichotomy” in SuperEarth Orbital Architectures, ERES III, New Haven, CT (July 2017)
Disentangling the In-Situ Formation Conditions in Establishing the “Dichotomy” in Super-Earth Orbital Architectures, Aspen Winter Conference on the Formation and Dynamical Evolution of Exoplanets, Aspen, CO (March 2017)
Demographics of Tightly Packed Systems (STIPs and SUTIPs), Sagan Workshop, Pasadena, CA (July 2015)
The Masses and Orbits of the Moons of Dwarf Planet Haumea, Northrup Grumman Science and Engineering Showcase, Melbourne, FL (April 2015)