John Debes joined DTM as a Postdoctoral Associate in September. Debes obtained his Ph.D. in astronomy this summer at Pennsylvania State University. An observer and theorist, Debes specializes in the formation and characteristics of extrasolar planets around low-and intermediate-mass stars. He developed a new theory for the fate of planets after the deaths of their parent stars, led the testing of novel designs for coronographic planet-detection instruments, and utilized space and ground-based telescopes to search for evidence of near-infared excess around nearby white dwarfs as possible signatures of companion disks or planets. Continuing his wide-ranging approach to extrasolar planets, Debes will focus on metal-rich (so-called DAZ class) white dwarf stars during his time at DTM.