Hilke Schlichting earned a BA and MS in Physics in 2004 from the University of Cambridge and a PhD in Astrophysics from Caltech in 2009. Hilke Schlichting's research spans all aspects of planet formation theory, extrasolar planets and solar system dynamics. She is very interested in extrasolar planets, because their diversity exemplifies the range of possible outcomes of planet formation. Her research combines observations from our solar system, which is the only place where we can examine the outcome of planet formation in detail, with the new wealth of data from extrasolar planets to shed light onto the process of planet formation and subsequent dynamical evolution. Schlichting joined the MIT faculty in 2014. She is also an Associate Professor in Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences at UCLA.