A full publication list, along with citations and other metrics, can be found in my library on the NASA Astrophysics Data System.

First Author Papers

  1. MacDonald, R.J., O’Connor, C.E., Boehm, V., et al., 2025, The Atmosphere of a White Dwarf Planet - (submitted)

  2. *May, E.M. & *MacDonald, R.J., et al., 2023, Double Trouble: Two Transits of the Super-Earth GJ 1132 b Observed with JWST NIRSpec G395H - ApJL, 959, L9 (* = joint first authors)

  3. MacDonald, R.J., 2023, POSEIDON: A Multidimensional Atmospheric Retrieval Code for Exoplanet Spectra - JOSS, 8(81), 4873

  4. MacDonald, R.J. & Lewis, N.K., 2022, TRIDENT: A Rapid 3D Radiative Transfer Model for Exoplanet Transmission Spectra - ApJ, 929, 20

  5. *Kaltenegger, L. & *MacDonald, R.J., et al., 2020, The White Dwarf Opportunity: Robust Detections of Molecules in Earth-like Exoplanet Atmospheres with the James Webb Space Telescope - ApJL, 901, L1 (* = joint first authors)

  6. MacDonald, R.J., Goyal, J.M., & Lewis, N.K., 2020, Why is it So Cold in Here? Explaining the Cold Temperatures Retrieved from Transmission Spectra of Exoplanet Atmospheres - ApJL, 893, L43

  7. MacDonald, R.J. & Madhusudhan, N., 2019, The Metal-Rich Atmosphere of the Exo-Neptune HAT-P-26b - MNRAS, 486, 1292

  8. MacDonald, R.J., Marley, M.S., Fortney, J.J., & Lewis, N.K., 2018, Exploring H2O Prominence in Reflection Spectra of Cool Giant Planets - ApJ, 858, 69

  9. MacDonald, R.J. & Madhusudhan, N., 2017, Signatures of Nitrogen Chemistry in Hot Jupiter Atmospheres - ApJL, 850, L15

  10. MacDonald, R.J. & Madhusudhan, N., 2017, HD 209458b in New Light: Evidence of Nitrogen Chemistry, Patchy Clouds and Sub-Solar Water - MNRAS, 469, 1979

Co-Authored Papers

  1. †Wang, R., MacDonald, R.J., Gibson, N.P., & Lewis, N.K., 2025, Open-source High-resolution Exoplanet Atmosphere Retrievals with POSEIDON - AJ, 169, 328 († student supervised by MacDonald, R.J.)

  2. Fournier-Tondreau M., †Pan, Y., Morel, K., Lafrenière, D., MacDonald, R.J., et al., 2025, Transmission Spectroscopy of WASP-52 b with JWST NIRISS: Water and Helium Atmospheric Absorption, Alongside Prominent Star-spot Crossings - MNRAS, 539, 422 († student supervised by MacDonald, R.J.)

  3. Ahrer, E., Radica, M., Piaulet-Ghorayeb, C., †Raul, E., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2025, Escaping Helium and a Highly Muted Spectrum Suggest a Metal-enriched Atmosphere on Sub-Neptune GJ 3090 b from JWST Transit Spectroscopy - ApJL, 985, L10 († student supervised by MacDonald, R.J.)

  4. Coulombe, L., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2025, Highly Reflective White Clouds on the Western Dayside of an Exo-Neptune - Nature Astronomy, 9, 512

  5. Bello-Arufe, A., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2025, Evidence for a Volcanic Atmosphere on the Sub-Earth L 98-59 b - ApJL, 980, L26

  6. Bennett, K.A., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2025, An HST Transmission Spectrum of the Closest M-Dwarf Transiting Rocky Planet LTT 1445Ab - AJ, 169, 111

  7. Louie, D.R., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2025, JWST-TST DREAMS: A Precise Water Abundance for Hot Jupiter WASP-17b from the NIRISS SOSS Transmission Spectrum - AJ, 169, 86

  8. Gressier, A., MacDonald, R.J., Espinoza, N., Wakeford, H.R., Lewis, N.K., et al., 2025, JWST-TST DREAMS: A Super-Solar Metallicity in WASP-17 b Dayside Atmosphere from NIRISS SOSS Eclipse Spectroscopy - AJ, 169, 57

  9. Boehm, V.A., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2025, The HUSTLE Program: The UV to Near-infrared HST WFC3/UVIS G280 Transmission Spectrum of WASP-127b - AJ, 169, 23

  10. †Mullens, E., Lewis, N.K., & MacDonald, R.J., & 2024, Implementation of Aerosol Mie Scattering in POSEIDON with Application to the Hot Jupiter HD 189733 b's Transmission, Emission, and Reflected Light Spectrum - ApJ, 977, 105 († student supervised by MacDonald, R.J.)

  11. †Kappelmeier, J.A., MacDonald, R.J., & Lewis, N.K., 2024, From the Shadows: The Impact of Nightside Thermal Emission on Ultrahot Jupiter Transmission Spectrum Retrievals - ApJ, 975, 61 († student supervised by MacDonald, R.J.)

  12. †Agrawal, A. & MacDonald, R.J., 2024, Cthulhu: An Open Source Molecular and Atomic Cross Section Computation Code for Substellar Atmospheres - JOSS, 9(102), 6894 († student supervised by MacDonald, R.J.)

  13. Piaulet-Ghorayeb, C., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2024, JWST/NIRISS Reveals the Water-rich "Steam World" Atmosphere of GJ 9827 d - ApJL, 974, L10

  14. Limbach, M. A., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2024, The MIRI Exoplanets Orbiting White dwarfs (MEOW) Survey: Mid-infrared Excess Reveals a Giant Planet Candidate around a Nearby White Dwarf - ApJL, 973, L11

  15. Valentine, D., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2024, JWST-TST DREAMS: Nonuniform Dayside Emission for WASP-17b from MIRI/LRS - AJ, 168, 123

  16. Espinoza, N., Steinrueck, M.E., Kirk, J., MacDonald, R.J., Savel, A.B., et al., 2024, Inhomogeneous Terminators on the Exoplanet WASP-39 b - Nature, 632, 1017

  17. Caieux, C., Doyon, R., MacDonald, R.J., et al., 2024, Transmission Spectroscopy of the Habitable Zone Exoplanet LHS 1140 b with JWST/NIRISS - ApJL, 970, L2

  18. Cugno, G., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2024, Mid-Infrared Spectrum of the Disk around the Forming Companion GQ Lup B Revealed by JWST/MIRI - ApJL, 966, L21

  19. Fairman, C., Wakeford, H.R., & MacDonald, R.J., 2024, The Importance of Optical Wavelength Data on Atmospheric Retrievals of Exoplanet Transmission Spectra - AJ, 167, 240

  20. Benneke, B., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2024, JWST Reveals CH4, CO2, and H2O in a Metal-rich Miscible Atmosphere on a Two-Earth-Radius Exoplanet - (submitted)

  21. Kirk, J., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2024, JWST/NIRCam Transmission Spectroscopy of the Nearby Sub-Earth GJ 341b - AJ, 167, 90

  22. Powell, D., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2024, Sulfur Dioxide in the Mid-Infrared Transmission Spectrum of WASP-39b - Nature, 626, 979

  23. Fournier-Tondreau, M., MacDonald, R.J., Radica, M., Lafrenière, D., Welbanks, L., et al., 2024, Near-Infrared Transmission Spectroscopy of HAT-P-18b with NIRISS: Disentangling Planetary and Stellar Features in the Era of JWST - MNRAS, 528, 3354

  24. Lustig-Yaeger, J., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2023, A JWST Transmission Spectrum of a Nearby Earth-sized Exoplanet - Nature Astronomy, 7, 1317

  25. Grant D., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2023, JWST-TST DREAMS: Quartz Clouds in the Atmosphere of WASP-17b - ApJL, 956, L29

  26. Deibert E.K, et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2023, ExoGemS High-Resolution Transmission Spectroscopy of WASP-76b with GRACES - AJ, 166, 141

  27. †Gomez Barrientos, J., Kaltenegger, L., & MacDonald, R.J., 2023, A Venus in the Making? Predictions for JWST Observations of the Ultracool M-Dwarf Planet LP 890-9~c - MNRAS: Letters, 524, L5 († student supervised by MacDonald, R.J.)

  28. Radica, M., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2023, Awesome SOSS: Transmission Spectroscopy of WASP-96b with NIRISS/SOSS - MNRAS, 524, 835

  29. Taylor, J., Radica, M., Welbanks, L., MacDonald, R.J., Blecic, J., et al., 2023, Awesome SOSS: Atmospheric Characterization of WASP-96b Using the JWST Early Release Observations - MNRAS, 524, 817

  30. Lim, O., Benneke, B., Doyon, R., MacDonald, R.J., Piaulet, C., et al., 2023, Atmospheric Reconnaissance of TRAPPIST-1 b with JWST/NIRISS: Evidence for Strong Stellar Contamination in the Transmission Spectra - ApJL, 955, L22

  31. Coulombe, L., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2023, A Broadband Thermal Emission Spectrum of the Ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-18b - Nature, 620, 292

  32. Flagg, L., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2023, ExoGemS Detection of a Metal Hydride in an Exoplanet Atmosphere at High Spectral Resolution - ApJL, 953, L19

  33. Albert, L., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2023, The Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph for the James Webb Space Telescope -- III. Single Object Slitless Spectroscopy - PASP, 135, 075001

  34. Libralato, M., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2023, JWST-TST Proper Motions: I. High-Precision NIRISS Calibration and Large Magellanic Cloud Kinematics - ApJ, 950, 101

  35. Moran, S.E. & Stevenson, K.B., Sing, D.K., MacDonald, R.J., Kirk J., et al., 2023, High Tide or Riptide on the Cosmic Shoreline? A Water-rich Atmosphere or Stellar Contamination for the Warm Super-Earth GJ 486b from JWST Observations - ApJL, 948, L11

  36. †Gomez Barrientos, J., MacDonald, R.J., Lewis, N.K., & Kaltenegger, L., 2023, In Search of the Edge: A Bayesian Exploration of the Detectability of Red Edges in Exoplanet Reflection Spectra - ApJ, 946, 96 († student supervised by MacDonald, R.J.)

  37. Ridden-Harper, A., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2023, High-Resolution Transmission Spectroscopy of the Terrestrial Exoplanet GJ 486b - AJ, 165, 170

  38. Feinstein, A., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2023, Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRISS - Nature, 614, 670

  39. Alderson, L., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2023, Early Release Science of the Exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRSpec G395H - Nature, 614, 664

  40. Rustamkulov, Z., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2023, Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRSpec PRISM - Nature, 614, 659

  41. Ahrer, E., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2023, Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRCam - Nature, 614, 653

  42. The JWST Transiting Exoplanet Community Early Release Science Team et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2023, Identification of Carbon Dioxide in an Exoplanet Atmosphere - Nature, 614, 649

  43. Rackham, B., Espinoza, N., Berdyugina, S.V., Korhonen, H., MacDonald, R.J., et al., 2023, The Effect of Stellar Contamination on Low-resolution Transmission Spectroscopy: Needs Identified by NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program Study Analysis Group 21 - RASTI, 2, 148

  44. Wong, I., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2022, The Hubble PanCET Program: A Featureless Transmission Spectrum for WASP-29b and Evidence of Enhanced Atmospheric Metallicity on WASP-80b - AJ, 164, 30

  45. Alderson, A., Wakeford, H.R., MacDonald, R.J., et al., 2022, A Comprehensive Analysis of WASP-17b's Transmission Spectrum from Space-Based Observations - MNRAS, 512, 4185

  46. Barstow, J.K., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2022, A Retrieval Challenge Exercise for the Ariel Mission - Experimental Astronomy

  47. Foote, T.O., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2022, The Emission Spectrum of the Hot Jupiter WASP-79b from HST/WFC3 - AJ, 163, 7

  48. Goyal, J.M., Lewis, N.K., Wakeford, H.R., MacDonald, R.J., & Mayne N.M., 2021, Why is it So Hot in Here? Exploring Population Trends in Spitzer Thermal Emission Observations of Hot Jupiters Using Planet-specific, Self-consistent Atmospheric Models - ApJ, 923, 242

  49. Xu, S., *Diamond-Lowe, H., *MacDonald, R.J., et al., 2021, Gemini/GMOS Transmission Spectroscopy of the Grazing Planet Candidate WD 1856+534 b - AJ, 162, 296 (* = joint second authors)

  50. Mishra, I., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2021, A Comprehensive Revisit of Select Galileo/NIMS Observations of Europa - PSJ, 2, 183

  51. Deibert, E.K., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2021, Detection of Ionized Calcium in the Atmosphere of the Ultra-Hot Jupiter WASP-76b - ApJL, 919, L15

  52. Rathcke, A.D., MacDonald, R.J., Barstow, J.K, et al., 2021, HST PanCET Program: A Complete Near-UV to Infrared Transmission Spectrum for the Hot Jupiter WASP-79b - AJ, 162, 138

  53. Lin, Z., MacDonald, R.J., Kaltenegger, L., & Wilson, D.J., 2021, Differentiating Modern and Prebiotic Earth Scenarios for TRAPPIST-1e: High-resolution Transmission Spectra and Predictions for JWST - MNRAS, 505, 3562

  54. Sedaghati, E., MacDonald, R.J., Casasayas-Barris, N., et al., 2021, A Spectral Survey of WASP-19b with ESPRESSO - MNRAS, 505, 435

  55. Kirk, J., Rackham, B., MacDonald, R.J., et al., 2021, ACCESS and LRG-BEASTS: A Precise New Optical Transmission Spectrum of the Ultrahot Jupiter WASP-103b - AJ, 162, 34

  56. Weaver, I., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2021, ACCESS: An Optical Transmission Spectrum of the High-gravity Hot Jupiter HAT-P-23b - AJ, 161, 278

  57. Mishra, I., Lewis, N.K., Lunine, J., Helfenstein, P., MacDonald, R.J., et al., 2021, Bayesian Analysis of Juno/JIRAM's NIR Observations of Europa - Icarus, 357, 114215

  58. Alam, M.K., Lopez-Morales, M., MacDonald, R.J., et al., 2021, Evidence of a Clear Atmosphere for WASP-62b: The Only Known Transiting Gas Giant in the JWST Continuous Viewing Zone - ApJL, 906, L10

  59. Lewis, N.K., Wakeford, H.R., MacDonald, R.J., et al., 2020, Into the UV: The Atmosphere of the Hot Jupiter HAT-P-41b Revealed - ApJL, 902, L19

  60. Molaverdikhani, K., Helling, Ch., Lew, B.W.P., MacDonald, R.J., et al., 2020, Understanding the Atmospheric Properties and Chemical Composition of the Ultra-Hot Jupiter HAT-P-7b: II. Mapping the Effects of Gas Kinetics - A&A, 635, A31

  61. Helling, Ch., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2019, Understanding the Atmospheric Properties and Chemical Composition of the Ultra-Hot Jupiter HAT-P-7b: I. Cloud and Chemistry Mapping - A&A, 631, A79

  62. Pinhas, A., Madhusudhan, N., Gandhi, S., & MacDonald, R.J., 2019, H2O Abun-
    dances and Cloud Properties in Ten Hot Giant Exoplanets     - MNRAS, 482, 1485

  63. Kilpatrick, B.M., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2018, Community Targets of JWST's Early Release Science Program: Evaluation of WASP-63b - AJ, 156, 103

  64. Sedaghati, E., Boffin, H.M.J., MacDonald, R.J., et al., 2017, Detection of Titanium Oxide in the Atmosphere of a Hot Jupiter - Nature, 549, 238

Reports

  1. Rackham, B., Espinoza, N., Berdyugina, S.V., Korhonen, H., MacDonald, R.J., et al., 2022, Final Report for SAG 21: The Effect of Stellar Contamination on Space-based Transmission Spectroscopy - NASA Exoplanet Analysis Group SAG 21 Report

  2. Tinetti, G., et al. (including MacDonald, R.J.), 2020, Ariel: Enabling Planetary Science Across Light-Years - ESA Ariel Mission Definition Study Report

Research Notes

  1. MacDonald, R.J. & Batalha, N.E., 2023, A Catalog of Exoplanet Atmospheric Retrieval Codes - RNAAS, 7, 54