Dr. Andrew Youdin, received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2003. Dr. Youdin is a theoretical astrophysicist whose primary focus is the formation and evolution of planetary systems. He employs various techniques, including analytic derivations, statistical data analysis and detailed numerical simulations. Current research topics include planetesimal formation, giant planet formation, exoplanet statistics and atmospheres, circumbinary dynamics, and accretion disks. Andrew's work on the streaming instability -- a mechanism to concentrate planet-forming solids in disks -- has transformed the modern understanding of planetesimal formation. In ongoing work, Andrew investigates a range of planet formation mechanisms with an eye to ongoing breakthroughs in exoplanet, disk and Solar System observations.