SMITHSONIAN ASTROPHYSICAL OBSERVATORY

60 Garden Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138

Charles Alcock, Director

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) was established in 1890 as a research unit of the Smithsonian Institution concentrating on studies of solar radiance. Sixty-five years later, SAO assumed responsibility for establishing an optical network for tracking the first artificial satellites. From this pioneering effort, the size and scope of SAO grew with the international space program to include major research in virtually all branches of astrophysics, as well as in areas of earth and planetary sciences.

Since 1955, when its headquarters moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, SAO has pursued such research in close collaboration with the Harvard College Observatory (HCO) and the Harvard University Department of Astronomy, with many staff members holding joint appointments.  On July 1, 1973, the Smithsonian Institution and Harvard University formalized their collaboration as the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) to coordinate the related research activities of the two observatories under a single director. Today the observatories retain their separate identities, each responsible to its parent organization; however, the joint venture draws on the coordinated strengths of the two organizations and the combined staffs in six research divisions: Atomic and Molecular Physics; High Energy Astrophysics; Optical and Infrared Astronomy; Radio and Geoastronomy; Solar, Stellar, and Planetary Sciences; and Theoretical Astrophysics. In addition, the CfA has a Science Education Department.

Facilities

Observational facilities include the multipurpose Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory (FLWO) on Mt. Hopkins in Arizona and the Submillimeter Array Telescope (SMA) on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, the latter a collaboration with the Academia Sinica’s Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics of Taiwan. The major instrument on Mt. Hopkins is the 6.5-m-diameter optical telescope of the MMT Observatory, a facility operated jointly with the University of Arizona.  SAO scientists have developed and deployed a suite of advanced wide-field imagers and spectrographs for the MMT including the Hectospec/Hectochelle fiber-fed optical spectrographs, the Megacam imager, and MMIRS, an infrared spectrograph and imager.  VERITAS, the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System, is a new major ground-based gamma-ray observatory at FLWO with an array of four 12m optical reflectors for gamma-ray astronomy in the GeV - TeV energy range. Also located at the FLWO are: the Peters Automated Infrared Imaging Telescope (PAIRITEL), a 1.3-m infrared telescope (formerly the northern 2MASS telescope, now operated by SAO);  a 1.2-m imaging optical/infrared telescope, and the 1.5-m Tillinghast spectroscopic telescope. FLWO is also home to HAT, the Hungarian Automated Telescope, a completely automated set of small aperture telescopes that search for transiting extra-solar planets; four HAT-Net telescopes are at FLWO, and two are at the SMA site in Hawaii.

In addition to these SAO-operated facilities, the Center for Astrophysics has a 20% share of the twin 6.5-m Magellan telescopes in Chile, operated by a five-institution consortium headed by the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.   A set of f/5 wide-field optics, identical to those at the MMT, have been installed at the Magellan Clay Telescope.  These new Magellan optics allow the operation of Megacam and MMIRS in the Southern Hemisphere.  Not least, SAO/CfA is involved in the development of both the 25-m Giant Magellan Telescope, with its partners in the Magellan consortium and others, and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.

Special laboratories are maintained for the development of telescope instrumentation; for the spectroscopy of atoms and molecules; and for the petrologic and mineralogic studies of meteorites and lunar samples. A 1.2-m radio telescope on the roof of the Observatory in Cambridge is used for the study of molecular clouds and the structure of the Milky Way through the spectral lines of CO and other molecules.          

SAO instrumentation is also operating in space. The Chandra X-ray Observatory, the third of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Great Observatories, carries the SAO-designed High Resolution Mirror Assembly X-ray telescope and the SAO-designed and -built High Resolution Camera (HRC). Chandra, which SAO operates for NASA, is used to study X rays from high-energy regions of the Universe. The Spitzer Space Telescope uses SAO’s Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) as its 310 micron camera for the study of both the very deep, early universe and the formation of stars and planets locally.  SAO’s Ultraviolet Coronograph Spectrometer (UVCS) is one of a suite of instruments onboard the International Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft.  The SAO-designed and -built X-Ray Telescope (XRT) is a high-resolution grazing-incidence telescope on board the Japanese Hinode satellite, which is designed to observe the generation, transport, and emergence of solar magnetic fields in the sun.  SAO instruments are also onboard NASA’s Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) spacecraft to study the sun.

Numerous facilities serving the general scientific community are located at the CfA in Cambridge. The Institute for Theoretical Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, established in 1988 to attract and encourage talented graduate students to enter this field, emphasizes theoretical study of fundamental questions in atomic and molecular physics, hosts many visitors, both long- and short-term, and conducts conferences and workshops. The Center for X-ray Technology, established in 2003 as a collaborative effort with other institutions, promotes the development of detectors and optics leading to space telescope applications, including X-ray interferometers. The Institute for Theory and Computation (ITC), also hosted by the CfA, is dedicated to research in high-end astrophysical computing.  The ITC consists of members of the Harvard Department of Astronomy, Smithsonian astrophysicists, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and associates at other institutions. 

Other services at SAO include the Minor Planet Center, which disseminates information on astronomical discoveries worldwide. The United States’ gateway for SIMBAD, an international astronomical computer database, is also located at the Cambridge site, as is Harvard’s extensive collection of astronomical photographic plates, the largest in the world. In addition, SAO conceived, developed, and now operates the Astrophysics Data System (ADS), funded by NASA. This service includes on-line access to more than 4.2 million abstracts of articles in the fields of astronomy, astrophysics, space instrumentation, and space physics. Full-text on-line journals are also available.  The HITRAN database of molecular parameters for transmission through and emission from planetary atmospheres is maintained at SAO for more than 5000 users worldwide.  SAO participates in the National Virtual Observatory (NVO) and the International Virtual Observatory (IVOA) collaborations, whose aims are to implement improved connectivity between the various astronomical data archives in the world.

SAO, on behalf of NASA, serves as the site of both the Chandra X-ray Observatory Science Center (CXC) and the Chandra Operations and Control Center, the latter of which conducts Chandra flight operations on an around-the-clock basis. The CXC develops and oversees the General Observer program for this mission, as well as calibrates, manages, and distributes data received from Chandra.
The CfA’s library, which includes the SAO collection as well as that of HCO, is available to the staff and to visitors. Located near the center of a community of universities, government agencies, and corporate scientific enterprises, SAO investigators enjoy access to a variety of facilities and counsel, and they may avail themselves of opportunities to pursue academic interests within the community. Smithsonian staff and their Harvard colleagues at the CfA publish more than 500 papers each year in internationally known journals.

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR

RESEARCH STAFF

ALCOCK, Charles Roger, Director, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; Professor of Astronomy, Harvard University. B.Sc. (1972) Auckland University, New Zealand; Ph.D. (1977) California Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Large astronomical surveys; outer solar system; cosmic dark matter; astronomical data mining; virtual observatory technologies.

RESEARCH PROGRAMS

The scientific objectives of the CfA are intentionally flexible so that response to new research opportunities can be prompt and effective. By design, the research programs reflect the strongest areas of the two observatories and concentrate in fields where the contribution to national goals and scientific excellence can best be realized.  These broad objectives are pursued by the six major divisions as follows:

ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS          

Quantitative information about atomic and molecular processes required for interpreting astronomical observations is obtained from combinations of laboratory and theoretical studies. Laboratory research includes millimeter-wave through ultraviolet spectroscopy (millimeter-wave spectroscopy of molecules including anions that have recently been detected in space, long carbon chains and rings), and stored light experiments in quantum optics. Fundamental precision measurements to test time-reversal symmetry-violating phenomena and applications of new magnetic resonance imaging techniques using spin-polarized noble gases are pursued. Tests of general relativity and the underlying equivalence principle use laboratory experimental techniques as well as radio observations of solar-system objects, spacecraft, and quasars and measurements of the round-trip timing of laser pulses sent to the moon. The application of the laser frequency comb to astrophysical measurements has been developed and is being refined. The development of precise laser-based distance measurement techniques supports both the equivalence principle work and future space missions. Measurements of trace gases (primarily atmospheric pollutants and greenhouse gases) and other atmospheric constituents are made from satellite-based spectrometers operating in the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared.

Theoretical research with applications to astrophysics includes calculations of atomic and molecular structure, cross-sections for recombination and molecular collisional processes, photoionization, photodissociation, charge transfer, and the interactions between matter and anti-matter. These studies are used in the Atomic and Molecular Physics (AMP) division to explain the characteristics of X rays stemming from interactions of comets with the flux of ions and electrons streaming from the Sun (the solar wind), to examine the distributions of energetic atoms in atmospheres of the terrestrial planets, to develop new radiative transfer tools for the modeling of planetary atmospheres, and to measure and model photochemistry and pollution in the Earth’s atmosphere. AMP is a worldwide center for the development and archiving of fundamental spectroscopic parameters of molecular gases. These data are employed for calculations of transmittance and radiance for the Earth’s atmosphere and for astrophysics. The Institute for Theoretical Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, funded primarily by the National Science Foundation and situated in the AMP division, has now been in existence for twenty-two years. The main goals of the Institute are to educate both students and postdoctoral fellows in theoretical AMO Physics, to maintain a world-class visitor program, and to organize and support workshops in forefront areas of AMO Physics research.

RESEARCH STAFF

BABB, James F., Physicist. A.B. (1982) Oberlin College; M.S. (1986), Ph.D. (1988) New York University. Research specialties: Applications of atomic and molecular physics to astrophysics and atmospheric physics; molecular structure; long-range forces.

CHANCE, Kelly V., Senior Physicist; Associate Director, Atomic and Molecular Physics Division, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. B.S. (1970) University of Hawaii; A.M. (1972), Ph.D. (1977) Harvard University. Research specialties: Molecular spectroscopy, structure, and dynamics and their application to atmospheric studies; laboratory spectroscopy and satellite-based measurements of the Earth's atmosphere, particularly of atmospheric pollutants and greenhouse gases; atmospheric composition and radiative transfer.

DALGARNO, Alexander, Senior Physicist; Phillips Professor of Astronomy, Harvard University. B.Sc. (1947), B.S. Advanced Studies (1948), Ph.D. (1951) University College, London; D.Sc. (1982) Queen's University of Belfast; D.Sc. (2000) York University, Canada. Research specialties: Theoretical atomic and molecular physics; ultracold gases; chemical physics; interstellar medium; astrophysical plasmas; early universe; atmospheric physics.

KHARCHENKO, Vasili A., Physicist. M.Sc. (1974) Politechnic Institute (Leningrad); Ph.D. (1978), D.Sc. (1988) Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute (St. Petersburg). Research specialties: Atmospheric physics; atomic collision theory.

LIU, Xiong, Research Scientist, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. B.S. (1995) Nankai University; M.A. (1998) Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences; M.S. (2002) University of Alabama in Huntsville; Ph.D. (2002) University of Alabama in Huntsville. Research specialties: Remote sensing of atmospheric trace gases, aerosols, and clouds; Atmospheric radiative transfer modeling and instrument calibration; Tropospheric chemistry studies integrating satellite measurements, chemical transport models, and in situ observations.

McCARTHY, Michael C., Senior Physicist. B.Sc. (1986) University of Alaska; Ph.D. (1992) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Astrochemistry; laboratory astrophysics of reactive molecules; microwave and laser spectroscopy.

PHILLIPS, David Forrest, Physicist. B.S. (1988) California Institute of Technology; Ph.D. (1996) Harvard University. Research specialties: Development and applications of atomic clocks; precise tests of fundamental physical laws; quantum optics.

PHILLIPS, James D., Physicist. B.S. (1975) University of Michigan; Ph.D (1983) Stanford University. Research specialties: Laboratory and space-based experiments on gravity; space-based astronomical optical instruments; measuring glacier motion with laser ranging.

REASENBERG, Robert D., Physicist. B.S. (1963) Polytechnic University (Brooklyn); Ph.D. (1970) Brown University. Research specialties: Tests of general relativity, especially laboratory and space-based experiments to test the equivalence principle; solar-system dynamics and solar-system-based tests of general relativity; terrestrial and celestial applications of laser distance measurement.

ROTHMAN, Laurence S., Senior Physicist. B.S. (1961) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; A.M. (1964), Ph.D. (1971) Boston University. Research specialties: Molecular spectroscopy; HITRAN (high-resolution transmission) database compilation.

SADEGHPOUR, Hossein R., ITAMP Director. B.S. (1981), M.S. (1983), Ph.D. (1990) Louisiana State University. Research specialties: Atomic and molecular collisions and spectroscopy; formation and collision of cold antihydrogen and protonic atoms, quantum mechanical interference effects; rydberg collisions; absorption and scattering of light for astrophysical applications, recombination and reionization, and two-photon processes, coherent control and manipulation on the nanoscale, coherent light interaction with nanotubes, ultracold collision of dipolar systems.

WALSWORTH, Ronald L., Senior Physicist. B.S. (1984) Duke University; Ph.D. (1991) Harvard University. Research specialties: Development of atomic clocks and precision measurement tools; precise tests of fundamental physical laws; bioimaging and brain science; searches for extrasolar planets..

WANG, Huiqun, Physicist. B.S. (1997) University of Science and Technology, China; Ph.D. (2004) California Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Martian atmospheric chemistry and meteorology; planetary science; chemical transport models; General Circulation Models.

AFFILIATED RESEARCH STAFF

MARTIN, Randall V., Research Associate, Dalhousie University. B.A. (1996) Cornell University; M.Sc. (1998) Oxford University; M.S. (2001), Ph.D. (2002) Harvard University. Research specialties: atmospheric chemistry; satellite remote sensing; global modelling of atmospheric composition.

ZHANG, Peng, Research Associate, Duke University. B.A. (1996) Zhengzhou University; M.S. (1999) Peking University; Ph.D. (2005) Emory Univeristy. Research specialties: Electronic structure theory and molecular dynamics.

HIGH ENERGY ASTROPHYSICS

Research in the High Energy Astrophysics Division focuses on astronomical objects and processes that emit and absorb energy as X-rays, which include planets, all types of stars,  neutron stars, supernova remnants, supermassive and stellar-mass black holes, galaxies, and galaxy clusters. Observations are made from spacecraft, notably the Earth-orbiting Chandra X-ray Observatory, one of NASA's Great Observatories, as well as other space-based X-ray telescopes. The division's scientific studies are directed at a broad range of topics, including cosmology, the structure, interactions, and evolution of astronomical objects, and processes that generate X-ray radiation.  In support of their scientific studies, members of the division use telescopes at all major observatories covering all available wavelengths. Division scientists are working to develop  novel X-ray optics and detectors, funded in part by grants from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and NASA.  In addition, the Division operates the NASA Astrophysics Data System, the premier digital library of astrophysics publications.  Staff members participate in planning and developing major new X-ray missions, and  currently operate the Chandra X-ray Center, which conducts flight operations and science activities for the Chandra X-ray Observatory.  In solar physics, the Division participated in developing an X-ray telescope for the Japanese Hinode mission and now operates a data center for analyzing Hinode data. Division solar researchers are major participants in the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly investigation on NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, launched in February 2010, and in the IRIS satellite to study the solar atmosphere, while Division scientists are principals in the Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons (SWEAP) investigation for NASA’s future Solar Probe Plus mission to the Sun. In support of its research and educational goals, the Division funds approximately 30 postdoctoral fellows, hosts many visiting scientists, runs two NSF summer  intern programs –  one, in its 17th  year, with a broad focus on astrophysics and a second, in its 3rd year, targeted on solar physics – and conducts extensive education and public outreach activities.

RESEARCH STAFF

ACCOMAZZI, Alberto, Program Manager, Astrophysics Data System Project. Ph.D. (1988) University of Milan. Research specialties: Digital Libraries; Scientific Information Systems; Semantic Web Technologies; Natural Language Processing; Image Analysis and Classification.

ALDCROFT, Thomas L., Astrophysicist. B.S. (1987) California Institute of Technology; Ph.D. (1993) Stanford University. Research specialties: X-ray constraints on the intergalactic medium; quasar absorption line systems; quasar multiwavelength spectral energy distribution.

BOOKBINDER, Jay A., Astrophysicist. B.A. (1979) Harvard College; Ph.D. (1985) Harvard University. Research specialties: X-ray and radio astronomy; nonthermal activity in stellar atmospheres.

BURKE, Douglas, Astrophysicist. B.Sc. (1992), M.Sc. (1993) Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine (London); Ph.D. (1997) University of Durham. Research specialties: Galaxy clusters; observational cosmology; extragalactic astronomy; Astroinformatics; Semantic Web.

CHAPPELL, Jon H., Astrophysicist. B.S. (1972) University of Louisville; Ph.D. (1981) University of New Hampshire. Research specialties: Development of astrophysical X-ray detectors and data systems.

DAVEY, Alisdair, Archive Astrophsicist. B.Sc. (1990), Ph.D. (1995) University College London. Research specialties: Large scale data distribution and archiving, automated feature and event detection, data mining, Virtual Observatories, Coronal Mass Ejections and Bright Points.

DAVID, Laurence P., Astrophysicist. B.A. (1980) Drexel University; M.A. (1983), Ph.D. (1985) Indiana University. Research specialties: Early-Type Galaxies; Groups of Galaxies; Clusters of Galaxies; Cosmology.

DELUCA, Edward E., Supervisory Astrophysicist. B.A. (1979), M.A. (1980) Wesleyan University; Ph.D. (1986) University of Colorado. Research specialties: Solar coronal physics; Astrophysical fluid dynamics; Solar physics; Magnetohydrodynamics; Dynamo theory.

DRAKE, Jeremy J., Astrophysicist. B.Sc. (1985) University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne; D.Phil. (1989) Brasenose College, Oxford University. Research specialties: Star and planet formation; protoplanetary disks, stellar atmospheres; stellar magnetic activity; element abundances and stellar evolution; novae; extreme ultraviolet and X-ray astronomy.

EDGAR, Richard J., Research Astrophysicist. B.A. (1976) University of Colorado; M.S. (1983), Ph.D. (1985) University of Wisconsin. Research specialties: X-ray astronomy; spectroscopy; diffuse soft X-ray background; hot interstellar medium supernova remnants; nonequilibrium ionization solar wind, x-ray instrument calibration.

EDMONDS, Peter D., Astrophysicist. B.S. (1988), Ph.D. (1994) University of Sydney. Research specialties: Globular clusters; compact binaries, especially accreting systems; HST studies of globulars; optical identifications of X-ray sources; X-ray studies of compact binaries; millisecond pulsars; stellar pulsations.

ELVIS, Martin S., Astrophysicist. B.Sc. (1973) University of Bristol; M.Sc. (1974) University of Sussex; Ph.D. (1978) University of Leicester. Research specialties: Extragalactic X-ray astronomy, quasars, and active galactic nuclei; large scale multi-waveband surveys (X-ray, uv, ir, mm, and radio) esp. of continuum and lines in quasars; models for quasars, winds from quasars. Asteroids studies to enable human exploration..

EVANS, Ian N., Astrophysicist. B.Sc. (1982) University of Western Australia; Ph.D. (1987) Australian National University. Research specialties: Physics of active galactic nuclei, including the impact of nuclear activity on the host galaxy; HII region abundances and physics of the interstellar medium; image-processing algorithms.

EVANS, Nancy R., Astrophysicist. B.A. (1966) Wellesley College; M.Sc. (1969), Ph.D. (1974) University of Toronto. Research specialties: Cepheid masses and luminosities; binary stars (star formation); visual and ultraviolet observations of intermediate mass stars; X-ray observations of star clusters.

FABBIANO, Giuseppina, Senior Astrophysicist. Ph.D. (1973) University of Palermo. Research specialties: X-ray astronomy; normal galaxies; populations of X-ray sources in galaxies; silent supermassive black holes; multiwavelength astrophysics archives and data analysis in the Virtual Observatory.

FORMAN, Christine Jones, Astrophysicist. A.B. (1971) Radcliffe College; A.M. (1972), Ph.D. (1974) Harvard University. Research specialties: X-ray observations of hot gas in galaxies and clusters of galaxies to determine their mass, structure, and cosmological evolution.

FORMAN, William R., Astrophysicist. B.A. (1969) Haverford College; M.A. (1970), Ph.D. (1973) Harvard University. Research specialties: X-ray astronomy; high-energy astrophysics; hot gas in galaxies, galaxy groups, and clusters of galaxies; feedback from supermassive black holes in galaxies.

FRUSCIONE, Antonella, Astrophysicist. Laurea Doctoral Degree (1986) University of Milan; Degree of Advanced Studies (1987) University of Paris. Research specialties: Multiwavelength studies of active galactic nuclei; EUVE and X-ray astronomy; astronomical data analysis.

GAETZ, Terrance, Astrophysicist. S.B. (1977) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; M.S. (1980), Ph.D. (1985) Cornell University. Research specialties: X-ray astronomy; supernova remnants; shock physics (radiative and nonradiative); astrophysical gas dynamics; computational physics and astrophysics.

GARCIA, Michael R., Astrophysicist. B.A. (1978) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Ph.D. (1987) Harvard University. Research specialties: multi-wavelength observations of black holes and neutron stars; X-ray binaries; X-ray instrumentation.

GOLUB, Leon, Senior Astrophysicist. B.S. (1967) City College of New York; Ph.D. (1972) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research specialties: High-resolution X-ray and extreme ultraviolet instrumentation; solar and stellar coronal plasma dynamics and dynamo theory.

GORENSTEIN, Paul, Senior Astrophysicist. B.E.P. (1957) Cornell University; Ph.D. (1962) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research specialties: X-ray astronomy; grazing incidence and diffractive X-ray telescopes; instrumentation for X-ray astronomy; supernova remnants; clusters of galaxies.

GRAESSLE, Dale E., Astrophysicist. B.S. (1981) University of Missouri, Columbia; Ph.D. (1989) University of Wisconsin. Research specialties: X-ray astronomy; high-energy astrophysics; AGN spectra; instrument calibration; synchrotron radiation.

GREEN, Paul J., Astrophysicist. B.A. (1981) Oberlin; Ph.D. (1992) University of Washington, Seattle. Research specialties: Extragalactic X-ray astronomy; quasars and AGN; quasar variability; X-ray survey multiwavelength followup; wide separation quasar pairs or lenses; quasar emission and absorption lines; galactic faint halo carbon stars; S stars.

HARRIS, Daniel E., Astrophysicist. B.A. (1956) Haverford College; M.A. (1957), Ph.D. (1961) California Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Nonthermal processes in extragalactic sources: clusters of galaxies, radio galaxies, and quasars with a particular emphasis on relativistic jets.

JERIUS, Diab, Astrophysicist. B.S. (1984) Wayne State University; Ph.D. (1992) University of Michigan. Research specialties: Numerical cosmology; galaxy cluster evolution.

JUDA, Michael, Astrophysicist. B.S. (1981) California Institute of Technology; Ph.D. (1988) University of Wisconsin. Research specialties: X-ray astronomy; studies of the interstellar medium; supernova remnants; instrumentation; cryogenic X-ray detectors; X-ray optics.

KAROVSKA NEILY, Margarita, Astrophysicist. Ph.D. (1984) Universite de Nice. Research specialties: Late-spectral-type stars; interacting binaries; AGN; multiwavelength high angular resolution imaging, and interferometry; X-ray astronomy; solar corona.

KASHYAP, Vinay L., Astrophysicist. M.S. (1993), Ph.D. (1994) University of Chicago. Research specialties: Solar and stellar coronae; diffuse X-ray emission; X-ray analysis algorithms.

KASPER, Justin Christophe, Astrophysicst. A.B. (1999) University of Chicago; Ph.D. (2003) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Thermal plasma, high energy particle, mass spectroscopy, and electromagnetic sensors for space-flight and ground-based instrument with applications including Earth, Moon, Sun, and solar system exploration.

KENTER, Almus, Astrophysicist. B.S. (1982) Columbia University; M.S. (1984), Ph.D. (1989) University of Wisconsin. Research specialties: X-ray detector and instrumentation development; X-ray astronomy of compact objects; TeV gamma-ray astronomy and detector technology.

KIM, Dong-Woo, Astrophysicist. B.S. (1980), M.S. (1982) Seoul National University; Ph.D. (1988) University of California, Los Angeles. Research specialties: Interstellar matter in early-type galaxies; X-ray emission from normal galaxies.

KORRECK, Kelly Elizabeth, Astrophysicist. B.S.(1999), M.S. (2002), Ph.D. (2005) University of Michigan. Research specialties: solar magnetic reconnection and associated particle acceleration, shock physics in supernova remnants and the heliosphere.

KRAFT, Ralph P., Physicist. B.S. (1988) University of Pittsburgh; Ph.D. (1995) Pennsylvania State University. Research specialties: Instrumentation for X-ray astronomy, astrophysical jets, hydrodynamics, galaxy mergers, formation of structure.

MACHACEK, Marie Esther, Astrophysicist. B.A. (1969) Coe College; M.S. (1970) University of Michigan; Ph.D. (1973) University of Iowa. Research specialties: Galaxy interactions and evolution; X-ray studies of hot gas in galaxies, clusters, and groups;.

McCLINTOCK, Jeffrey E., Senior Astrophysicist. B.S. (1964) Stanford University; Ph.D. (1969) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research specialties: stellar-mass black holes; measurements of mass and spin, and studies of jets and other relativistic phenomena..

McCOLLOUGH, Michael L., Archival Astrophysicist. B.S. (1975), M.S. (1981) Auburn University; Ph.D. (1989) Indiana University. Research specialties: X-ray binaries; microquasars; high-energy astrophysics; multi-wavelength studies; X-ray astronomy; gamma-ray astronomy; supernova remnants;.

McDOWELL, Jonathan C., Astrophysicist. B.A. (1981), Ph.D. (1987) Cambridge University. Research specialties: Quasars; black holes; multiwaveband studies; astronomical software.

MUENCH-NASRALLAH, August, Astrophysicist. B.S. (1995) Georgia Institute of Technology; M.S. (1997), Ph.D. (2002) University of Florida. Research specialties: observational star and planet formation; infrared astronomy; development and utilization of online astronomical resources.

NICHOLS, Joy S., Astrophysicist. B.A. (1968), M.S. (1970) Northwestern University; Ph.D. (1992) University of Amsterdam. Research specialties: Interstellar medium; winds of hot stars; high-energy plasma physics.

NULSEN, Paul E.J., Astrophysicist. B.Sc. (1975) University of Western Australia; Ph.D. (1980) Cambridge University. Research specialties: X-ray astronomy; dynamics and gas dynamics; hot gas in galaxies and clusters; active galactic nuclei.

PATNAUDE, Daniel, Astrophysicist. B.S. (1995) University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Ph.D. (2005) Dartmouth College. Research specialties: Supernova Remnants; ISM Studies; Cosmic Rays; X-ray Astronomy; Computational Physics; Accretion; Supernovae.

PLUCINSKY, Paul P., Astrophysicist. S.B. (1987) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Ph.D. (1993) University of Wisconsin, Madison. Research specialties: Local X-ray background; supernova remnants; Interstellar Medium; Nearby Galaxies; X-ray detectors.

PRESTWICH, Andrea H., Astrophysicist. B.Sc. (1984) Queen Mary College, London; M.Sc. (1985) University of Manchester; Ph.D. (1989) Imperial College, London. Research specialties: Multiwavelength studies of clusters of galaxies; extragalactic star formation.

PRIMINI, Francis A., Astrophysicist. B.S. (1972) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Ph.D. (1977) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Observational X-ray astronomy, including number counts and distributions of X-ray source populations in the Milky Way and other similar galaxies; surveys of extragalactic X-ray sources; X-ray binaries; time-series analysis of X-ray sources.

REEVES, Katharine, Astrophysicist. B.A. (1996) Reed College; M.S (1999) Northeastern University; Ph.D. (2006) University of New Hampshire. Research specialties: Modeling and data analysis of solar flares and coronal mass ejections.

REID, Paul B., Senior Astrophysicist. B.A. (1975), M.A. (1977), Ph.D. (1982) Columbia University. Research specialties: X-ray optics.

ROMAINE, Suzanne E., Physicist. B.S. (1974) Michigan State University; S.M. (1986) Harvard University; Ph.D. (1992) Boston University. Research specialties: X-ray optics, deposition of multilayer coatings, thin film coatings, materials science of thin films; low-temperature physics; semiconductor and superconductor device physics.

ROTS, Arnold H., Astrophysicist. B.Sc. (1967), M.Sc. (1971), Ph.D. (1974) University of Groningen, Netherlands. Research specialties: Interstellar medium in extended galaxies; dynamics of galaxies; study of pulsars, in particular timing; data analysis algorithms; time keeping; data archives; Virtual Observatory.

SAAR, Steven H., Astrophysicist. B.A. (1980) Northwestern University; Ph.D. (1987) University of Colorado. Research specialties: Solar/stellar magnetic fields, dynamos, and related activity; stellar rotation, convection, and surface features; detection of extrasolar planets.

SCHWARTZ, Daniel A., Senior Physicist. B.S. (1963) Washington University (St. Louis); M.S. (1966), Ph.D. (1969) University of California, San Diego. Research specialties: X-ray astronomy; Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and Extragalactic Jets; Observational Cosmology; X-ray mirror and detector instrumentation.

SIEMIGINOWSKA, Aneta L., Astrophysicist. M.S. (1985) University of Warsaw; Ph.D. (1991) Copernicus Astronomical Center, Poland. Research specialties: Physics of Active Galaxies and Quasars. Evolution of Radio Galaxies. X-ray emission associated with relativistic outflows. Astrostatistics..

SILVER, Eric H., Senior Astro Physicist. B.S. (1973) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; M.Phil. (1976), Ph.D. (1978) Columbia University. Research specialties: X-ray spectroscopy and polarimetry of laboratory and astrophysical plasmas.

SLANE, Patrick O., Astrophysicist. B.S.E. (1977) University of Wisconsin, Whitewater; M.S. (1983) University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Ph.D. (1988) University of Wisconsin, Madison. Research specialties: Galactic X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy; supernova remnants; pulsar wind nebulae; young neutron stars.

SLAVIN, Jonathan David, Astrophysicist. B.S. (1984) Georgetown University; Ph.D. (1990) University of Wisconsin. Research specialties: Theories of the interstellar medium (ISM), especially local ISM (including our local interstellar cloud) and interactions of hot gas and cooler gas; supernova remnant (SNR) evolution; interstellar dust; X-ray, ultraviolet and infrared observations of SNRs and the hot ISM; intracluster medium in rich clusters.

SMITH, Randall Knowles, Astrophysicist. B.S (1991) Carnegie Mellon University; Ph.D (1996) University of Wisconsin. Research specialties: X-ray Astronomy: Interstellar Medium, Interstellar Dust, Galaxy Clusters; Atomic Physics: Theoretical Calculations, X-ray Spectroscopy.

TANANBAUM, Harvey D., Senior Astrophysicist; Director, Chandra X-ray Observatory Center. B.A. (1964) Yale University; Ph.D. (1968) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research specialties: X-ray astronomy; quasars.

TESTA, Paola, Astrophysicist. Laurea in Physics (2001), PhD (2005) University of Palermo. Research specialties: Solar and stellar coronal physics; stellar magnetic activity; modeling of coronal loops; X-ray astronomy.

VIKHLININ, Alexey A., Astrophysicist. B.S. (1993) Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology; Ph.D. (1995) Russian Space Research Institute. Research specialties: X-ray astronomy; clusters of galaxies.

VRTILEK, Jan M., Astrophysicist. B.A. (1975) University of Wisconsin; A.M. (1976), Ph.D. (1983) Harvard University. Research specialties: Clusters and groups of galaxies; X-ray astronomy; astronomical instrumentation.

VRTILEK, Saeqa Dil, Senior Astrophysicist. B.S. (1975) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; M.A. (1979) Brandeis University; Ph.D. (1985), M.Phil. (1985) Columbia University. Research specialties: Optical tomography of X-ray binaries; physics of accretion disks and jets; multiwavelength studies of X-ray binaries and planetary nebulae; science education/public outreach; 3d modeling and classification of XRBs. .

WARGELIN, Bradford, Astrophysicist. S.B. (1985) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Ph.D. (1993) University of California, Berkeley. Research specialties: Laboratory X-ray astrophysics: high-resolution spectroscopy, electron impact excitation, and charge exchange; stellar coronae; solar wind charge exchange and soft X-ray background; calibration of X-ray instrumentation.

WEBER, Mark, Astrophysicist. B.S. (1991) Harvey Mudd College; M.S. (1995), Ph.D. (1999) Montana State University. Research specialties: Coronal differential rotation; large-scale structure of corona; magnetic loop models; variation of solar neutrino flux.

WILKES, Belinda J., Senior Astrophysicist; Assistant Director, Chandra X-ray Center. B.Sc.(Hons)(1978) St. Andrews University; Ph.D. (1982) Cambridge University. Research specialties: X-ray and multifrequency studies of quasi-stellar objects; Multi-wavelength surveys (ChaMP,SWIRE).

WOLK, Scott J., Astrophysicist. A.B. (1988) Cornell University; Ph.D. (1996) State University of New York, Stony Brook. Research specialties: Multiwavelength studies of regions of star formation; Evolution of young stars; Stellar flares; Stellar disks; Brown dwarfs; X-ray astronomy; X-ray studies of exoplanets, planets and comets; Next generation of X-ray telescopes.

ZHAO, Ping, Astrophysicist. B.S. (1981) Peking University; Ph.D. (1986) Yale University. Research specialties: High Energy Astrophysics: X-ray telescopes and their mirrors; multi-wavelength studies of X-ray binaries; black holes; neutron stars; Atomic physics: atomic beams; laser physics; high precision measurements.

AFFILIATED RESEARCH STAFF

BRISSENDEN, Roger J., Deputy Director, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; Manager, Chandra X-ray Center. B.S. (1985) University of Adelaide; Ph.D. (1989) Australian National University. Research specialties: Multiwavelength studies of active galactic nuclei; BL Lac objects; Science Center and Mission Operations.

GAENSLER, Bryan M., Research Associate, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. B.Sc. (1993), Hons Class I (1994), Ph.D. (1998) University of Sydney. Research specialties: Neutron stars; supernova remnants; supernovae; the interstellar medium; magnetic fields; shocks; turbulence; the Magellanic Clouds; radio polarimetry; interferometry; high energy astrophysics; history of astronomy.

GRINDLAY, Jonathan E., Robert Treat Paine Professor of Astronomy, Harvard University. A.B. (1966) Dartmouth College; A.M. (1969), Ph.D. (1971) Harvard University. Research specialties: High energy astrophysics; X-ray observations and models of compact Objects in binaries in globular clusters; active galaxies; gamma-ray bursts; development of hard X-ray imaging detectors and telescopes; time domain astrophysics and surveys.

KELLOGG, Edwin M., Astrophysicist. B.S. (1960) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; M.S. (1963), Ph.D. (1966) University of Pennsylvania. Research specialties: X-ray astronomy; clusters of galaxies; symbiotic stars; X-ray instrumentation.

LEE, Julia C., Astrophysicist; Assistant Professor of Astronomy, Harvard University. B.S. (1994) University of California, Los Angeles; Ph.D. (1999) Cambridge University. Research specialties: Multi-wavelength (primarily X-ray) spectroscopic studies of energetic accretion systems (X-ray binaries, AGN); interstellar dust composition studies through laboratory experiments and space-based observations.

MATTISON, Edward M., Physicist. B.S. (1963) Queens College of the City University of New York; Ph.D. (1974) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Hydrogen masers; high-stability frequency standards.

MURRAY, Stephen S., Senior Astrophysicist. B.S. (1965) Columbia University; Ph.D. (1971) California Institute of Technology. Research specialties: X-ray astronomy; Clusters of Galaxies, Active Galactic Nuclei, Supernova Remnents, Large Area Surveys; space physics; single-photon-counting detection systems; information systems; detectors, optics, and interferometry.

SEWARD, Frederick D, Astrophysicist. AB (1953) Princeton University; PhD (1958) University of Rochester. Research specialties: X-ray astronomy; Supernova remnants; Neutron Stars.

TUCKER, Wallace H., Astrophysicist, Senior Theoretician. B.S. (1961), M.S. (1962) University of Oklahoma; Ph.D. (1966) University of California. Research specialties: High-energy astrophysics.

VAN DEN BERG, Maureen, Research Associate, Harvard College Observatory. Ph.D. (2001) Utrecht University. Research specialties: Galactic X-ray source populations; X-ray sources in old open clusters, globular clusters, Galactic center and bulge; X-ray and optical/infrared studies of interacting binaries; compact binaries.

ZEZAS, Andreas, Astrophysicist. B.Sc. (1997) University of Patras, Greece; Ph.D. (2000) University of Leicester, United Kingdom. Research specialties: X-ray astronomy; discrete X-ray sources in galaxies; X-ray binaries, supernova remnants; multiwavelength observations of galaxies; galaxy interactions; low-luminosity active galactic nuclei.

OPTICAL AND INFRARED ASTRONOMY

Research in this division spans extragalactic and galactic astronomy, with special emphases on cosmology, the large-scale structure of the universe, cosmic gamma-ray sources, clusters of galaxies, clusters of stars, the halo of our galaxy, and the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies. Observations are made from orbiting observatories including the Hubble Space Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope, as well as from ground-based observatories such as the MMT, Magellan, and FLWO. SAO/CfA astronomers were the first to uncover the large-scale structure of the distribution of galaxies in space and the acceleration of the Universe. Division scientists have also led the exploration of the very high energy (TeV) gamma-ray universe using atmospheric Cerenkov telescopes. OIR scientists are heavily involved in the analysis of Spitzer data and led the development of the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) for Spitzer. They are active in the development of both advanced optical and infrared instruments for existing ground-based facilities, and concepts for the next generation of large optical/infrared telescopes and instruments, including the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), a 25-m telescope made up of seven 8.4-m segments; the first segment is currently being fabricated.

RESEARCH STAFF

ASHBY, Matthew L. N., Astrophysicist. B.A. (1988) University of Colorado; M.S. (1991), Ph.D. (1995) Cornell University. Research specialties: Infrared properties of nearby and distant galaxies; active galactic nuclei; galaxy evolution; radiative transfer.

BENBOW, Wystan, Astrophysicist, VERITAS. Ph.D. (2002) University of California, Santa Cruz; M.S. (1998); University of California, Santa Cruz; B.S. (1996) University of Iowa. Research specialties: Very-high-energy (E > 100 GeV) Gamma-ray Astronomy: Observational studies of extragalactic objects; PI of the VERITAS experiment (http://veritas.sao.arizona.edu) & contributor to the development of the CTA experiment (http://www.cta-observatory.org).

BROWN, Warren R., Astrophysicist. B.S. (1995) University of Arizona; A.M. (1998), Ph.D. (2002) Harvard University. Research specialties: Hypervelocity stars; Merging white dwarf binaries; Stellar halo of the Milky Way; Optical and infrared instruments for ground-based telescopes..

CALDWELL, Nelson, Astronomer. B.A. (1976) University of South Florida; Ph.D. (1982) Yale University. Research specialties: M31; star clusters in galaxies; dwarf galaxies; star formation in galaxies.

FABRICANT, Daniel G., Senior Physicist; Associate Director, Optical and Infrared Astronomy Division, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. B.S. (1974) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Ph.D. (1978) Harvard University. Research specialties: Galaxy clusters; galaxy evolution; large-scale structure; instrumentation for optical and infrared astronomy.

FALCO-ACOSTA, Emilio, Astronomer. B.S., M.S. (1983), Ph.D. (1986) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Observational cosmology; estimation of cosmological parameters and studies of galaxy evolution; searches for and studies of gravitational lenses in all-sky surveys; searches for extrasolar planets.

FAZIO, Giovanni G., Senior Physicist. B.S. (1954), B.A. (1954) St. Mary's University, Texas; Ph.D. (1959) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Infrared astronomy, including satellite and ground-based observations using infrared array cameras; the early universe; star formation and evolution; brown dwarfs; and ultraluminous galaxies.

GEARY, John C., Physicist. B.A. (1967) Michigan State University; M.S. (1969), Ph.D. (1975) University of Arizona. Research specialties: Design and construction of advanced electronic imaging detector systems for astronomical observations.

GELLER, Margaret, Senior Astronomer. A.B. (1970) University of California, Berkeley; Ph.D. (1975) Princeton University; DSHC (1995) Connecticut College; DSHC (1997) Gustavus Adolphus College; DSHC (2000) University of Massachusetts (Dartmouth); DSHC (2009) Colby College; DSHC (2009) Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Tarragona, Spain). Research specialties: Extragalactic astronomy and cosmology; mapping the universe; the formation and history of galaxies like the Milky Way; matter distribution in the universe; structure of the Milky Way; black holes and hypervelocity stars.

HORA, Joseph L., Astronomer; IRAC Program Scientist. B.A. (1985) Northwestern University; Ph.D. (1991) University of Arizona. Research specialties: Infrared astronomy; infrared instrumentation; star formation; planetary nebulae.

HUANG, Jiasheng, Astrophysicist. A.S. (1985), M.S. (1988) Nanjing University; Ph.D. (1997) University of Hawaii. Research specialties: Extragalactic survey; galaxy formation and evolution; cosmology.

KURTZ, Michael J., Astronomer. B.A. (1977) San Francisco State University; Ph.D. (1982) Dartmouth College. Research specialties: Observational cosmology; galaxy photometry and spectroscopy; image-processing techniques; numerical classification methods; scientific information systems; digital libraries.

LACASSE, Marc G., Engineer/Instrument Support Scientist. B.A. (1976) Dartmouth College; M.A. (1978), Ph.D. (1984) University of Rochester. Research specialties: Instrument support, astronomical spectroscopy & imaging, interferometry; image reconstruction; light scattering; polarization.

LATHAM, David W., Senior Astronomer. B.S. (1961) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Ph.D. (1970) Harvard University. Research specialties: Searches for and characterization of extrasolar planets; the formation and early history of the Milky Way Galaxy; the frequency and orbital characteristics of binaries in various stellar populations.

McLEOD, Brian A., Astronomer. B.A. (1988) Cornell University; Ph.D. (1994) University of Arizona. Research specialties: Optical and infrared instrumentation; gravitational lensing; galaxy evolution.

MEIBOM, Soren, Astronomer. Ph.D. (2005) University of Wisconsin. Research specialties: Stars: late type; binary stars; tidal evolution; stellar rotation; stellar photometry and spectroscopy.

MELNICK, Gary J., Senior Astronomer. B.A. (1974), M.S. (1979), Ph.D. (1980) Cornell University. Research specialties: Infrared spectroscopy and interstellar matter; satellite infrared and submillimeter astronomy; dark energy and cosmology.

PAHRE, Michael Andrew, Astrophysicist. A.B. (1989) Harvard University; Ph.D. (1998) California Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Elliptical galaxies; galaxy evolution; high-redshift galaxies and quasi-stellar objects; stellar populations; infrared instrumentation; searches for clusters of galaxies.

SCHILD, Rudolph E., Astronomer. B.S. (1962), M.S. (1964), Ph.D. (1966) University of Chicago. Research specialties: Gravitational lenses and microlensing; quasar structure and photometry; dark matter; quasar time series analysis.

SMITH, Howard A., Senior Astrophysicist. S.B. (1966), S.B. (2) (1966) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Ph.D. (1976) University of California, Berkeley. Research specialties: Galactic and extragalactic star formation; infrared spectroscopy; instrumentation; Spitzer (IRAC team); Herschel Space Observatory; Infrared Space Observatory; education and public outreach activities.

SZENTGYORGYI, Andrew H., Astrophysicist. B.S. (1979) State University of New York, Stony Brook; M.S. (1983), Ph.D. (1986) University of Wisconsin, Madison. Research specialties: Exoplanets; globular clusters; open clusters; supernovae; astronomical instrumentation; high resolution astronomical spectroscopy.

TOLLS, Volker, Astronomer. Diploma (1988), Ph.D. (1992) University of Cologne. Research specialties: Design and test of radio telescope instrumentation, ground-based and spaceborne, millimeter-to-infrared astronomy; interstellar chemistry; planet detection and imaging; coronagraphic techniques.

TORRES, Guillermo, Astronomer. Ph.D. (1991) University of Cordoba. Research specialties: Binary stars; precise determination of fundamental stellar parameters; pulsating stars; Doppler searches for extrasolar planets; follow-up of transiting extrasolar planets; radial-velocity studies of star-forming regions.

WANG, Zhong, Astronomer. B.A. (1982) Nanjing University; M.A. (1985), Ph.D. (1989) Boston University. Research specialties: Spectroscopic, photometric, and interferometric observations of stars and interstellar medium in galaxies, including the Milky Way; Astrophysics of star formation, galaxy evolution and galaxy interactions.

WILLNER, Steven P., Astronomer. A.B. (1971) Harvard College; Ph.D. (1976) California Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Infrared observations of galaxies, both nearby and distant; Development of infrared instruments.

AFFILIATED RESEARCH STAFF

EISENSTEIN, Daniel J., Professor of Astronomy, Harvard University. A.B. (1992) Princeton University; A.M. (1994), Ph. D. (1996) Harvard University. Research specialties: Theoretical and observational cosmology and galaxy evolution.

KIRSHNER, Robert P., Clowes Professor of Science, Harvard University. A.B. (1970) Harvard College; Ph.D. (1975) California Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Supernovae; galaxies; observational cosmology.

RADIO AND GEOASTRONOMY

Research in the SAO Radio and Geoastronomy Division covers a wide array of topics using observational and theoretical techniques. The scientific staff  has direct access to world-class facilities. The Submillimeter Array (SMA) is a unique eight-element interferometer producing high-resolution images of celestial objects in the sub-millimeter wavelength bands. Other SAO instruments in this division include a far infrared telescope in Chile, and a millimeter wavelength telescope dedicated to mapping emission from molecular clouds in the Milky Way. Astronomical observations are also carried out with national and international facilities, including the NAIC Arecibo Telescope, the NRAO Green Bank Telescope, the NRAO Very Large Array, the NRAO Very Long Baseline Array, the IRAM 30-m Telescope, the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope and the Herschel Space Observatory. Astronomical research programs include studies of black holes and active galactic nuclei, the structure and evolution of the Milky Way and other galaxies, the formation of stars and protoplanetary disks, the physics and chemistry of the interstellar medium, evolved stars and planetary nebulae, circumstellar and interstellar masers, and planetary and cometary atmospheres.  Division astronomers lead development of the Murchison Wide-field Array (MWA) all-sky survey and the MWA real-time calibration and imaging pipeline.

RESEARCH STAFF

ANDREWS, Sean M, Astrophysicist. B.A. (1997) Northwestern University; M.S. (2003), Ph.D. (2007) University of Hawaii. Research specialties: circumstellar disks, planet formation, aperture synthesis observations, radiative transfer modeling.

BLUNDELL, Raymond, Director, Submillimeter Array. B.S. (1974), Ph.D. (1980) University of Leeds. Research specialties: Millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave techniques and instrumentation for radio-astronomy; THz spectral line astronomy.

BOURKE, Tyler, Astronomer. B.Sc. (1989) Australian National University, M.Sc. (1994), Ph.D. (1999) University of New South Wales. Research specialties: Low-mass star formation; Evolution of dense cores, protostars and protoplanetary disks; Submillimeter interferometry.

DAME, Thomas M., Radio Astronomer. B.A. (1976) Boston University; M.A. (1978), Ph.D. (1983) Columbia University. Research specialties: Molecular clouds and star formation; galactic structure.

GOTTLIEB, Carl, Astrophysicist. Sc.B. (1963) Lawrence College; Ph.D. (1969) University of Chicago. Research specialties: Laboratory astrophysics; interstellar molecules.

GREENHILL, Lincoln J., Radio Astronomer. B.S. (1984) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; M.A. (1985), Ph.D. (1990) Harvard University. Research specialties: Cosmology--the epoch of reionization (instrumentation/observation), extragalactic distance scale; AGN--structures < 1 pc from supermassive black holes; high-mass star formation--innermost 1000 AU; late-type stars-circumstellar shells; masers.

GRIMES, Paul K., Physicist. B.A.(2001), M.Sc. (2001), Ph.D. (2006) University of Cambridge. Research specialties: Millimeter and submillimeter receivers for radioastronomy.

GURWELL, Mark Andrew, Astrophysicist. Sc.B. (1990) University of Washington; Sc.M. (1992), Ph.D. (1996) California Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Milimeter/submillimeter-wave spectroscopy of planets and planetary atmospheres; planetary atmospheric evolution; KBO temperature and size measurements; interferometry; mm/submm observing techniques and absolute flux calibration; detection of high-z galaxies ('submm galaxies'); long-term quasar monitoring.

HO, Paul T.P., Senior Astrophysicist. S.B. (1972), Ph.D. (1977) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Spectral-line interferometry; star formation in external galaxies; galactic nuclei; interstellar medium; massive outflows; molecular clouds; formation of OB clusters; black holes; cosmology; radio astronomy; submillimeter array.

KETO, Eric R., Astrophysicist. B.A. (1979) Princeton University; Ph.D. (1987) Harvard University. Research specialties: The interstellar medium; the formation of stars and star clusters.

LADA, Charles J., Senior Astrophysicist. B.A. (1971) Boston University; Ph.D. (1975) Harvard University. Research specialties: Star and planet formation; dense molecular clouds; bipolar molecular outflows; protoplanetary disks, extremely young star clusters; interstellar medium; infrared and millimeter-wave observational astronomy.

MORAN, James M., Senior Radio Astronomer; Professor of Astronomy, Harvard University. B.S. (1963) University of Notre Dame; S.M. (1965), Ph.D. (1968) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Radio astronomy; very long-baseline interferometry; cosmic masers; star-formation studies; active galactic nuclei, black holes (especially the one in the center of the Milky Way).

MYERS, Philip C., Senior Astrophysicist; Lecturer on Astronomy, Harvard University. A.B. (1966) Columbia University; Ph.D. (1972) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Radio astronomy; physical processes in molecular clouds and star formation; interstellar molecules; molecular spectroscopy; protostars; gravitational infall and condensation; formation of clusters.

PAINE, Scott N., Astrophysicist. B.S. (1984) California Institute of Technology; Ph.D. (1992) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave optics and instrumentation; Fourier transform spectroscopy; Atmospheric radiometry and radiative transfer modeling..

PATEL, Nimesh A., Radio Astronomer and General Engineer. M.Sc. (1984) Bombay University; Ph.D. (1990) Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Research specialties: Evolved stars; Molecular spectroscopy; Star formation; Astrophysical masers; Radio interferometry; Antenna pointing and metrology; instrumentation and software.

PEARLMAN, Michael R., Physicist. S.B. (1963) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Ph.D. (1968) Tufts University; S.M. (1980) MIT Sloan School of Management. Research specialties: Laser ranging to satellites; application of space techniques to precision geodesy for Earth Science.

PETITPAS, Glen R., Computer Engineer. B.Sc.(1995) St. Mary's, NS; M.Sc. (1997), Ph.D.(2001) McMaster University, ON. Research specialties: Submillimeter Interferometry.

QI, Chunhua, Astrophysicist. B.S. (1995) Beijing University; Ph.D. (2001) California Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Star formation; protoplanetary disks; chemistry of young stellar objects; comets; interferometry.

REID, Mark J., Senior Radio Astronomer. B.A. (1971) University of California, San Diego; Ph.D. (1975) California Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Radio astronomy, including spectral-line very long-baseline interferometry; star formation; cosmic masers; active galactic nuclei and quasars; galactic structure and evolved stars.

STARK, Antony A., Astronomer. B.S. (1975) California Institute of Technology; M.A. (1977), Ph.D. (1979) Princeton University. Research specialties: Antarctic submillimeter astronomy (AST/RO Project); radio astronomical instrumentation; interstellar medium; galactic structure; cosmic background radiation; Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect observations; telescope control and data acquisition.

THADDEUS, Patrick, Astrophysicist. B.S. (1953) University of Delaware; M.A. (1955) Oxford University; Ph.D. (1960) Columbia University. Research specialties: Radio astronomy; study of galactic structure and molecular clouds; laboratory astrophysics; study of reactive molecules found in interstellar gas.

TIRUPATI, Sridharan K, Astronomer/Engineer. E.B. (1985) Madras University; Ph.D. (1993) Indian Institute of Science. Research specialties: Molecular clouds; star formations; radio holography.

TONG, Edward C., Engineer. B.Sc. (1983) University of Hong Kong; Ph.D. (1988) University of Joseph Fourier, Grenoble. Research specialties: Instrumentation for millimeter- and submillimeter-wave astronomy.

WEINTROUB, Jonathan, Correlator Group Leader. B.Sc.(Eng) (1983), M.Sc.(Eng) (1986) University of Cape Town; Ph.D. (1998) Harvard University. Research specialties: Instrumentation for astronomy signal processing; Submillimeter Array (SMA) Correlator; Astronomical masers; Submillimeter VLBI on super massive black holes, in the Galactic Center and elsewhere.

WILNER, David James, Associate Director, Radio and Geoastronomy Division, Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. A.B. (1987) Princeton University; Ph.D. (1993) University of California, Berkeley. Research specialties: Star and planet formation; protoplanetary disks and debris disks; aperture synthesis observations and interferometry techniques.

WILSON, Robert Woodrow, Senior Scientist, part time. B.A. (1957) Rice University; Ph.D. (1962) California Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Radio astronomy; cosmic background; millimeter and submillimeter spectroscopy; telescope system design; submillimeter synthesis; radio communication.

YOUNG, Ken Harbour, Astrophysicist. B.A. (1980) Carlton College; Ph.D. (1994) California Institute of Technology. Research specialties: AGB stars; young planetary nebulae.

ZHANG, Qizhou, Astrophysicist. M.S. (1993), Ph.D. (1996) Harvard University. Research specialties: Molecular clouds and star formation; study of infall motions, disks, and outflows in star-forming regions.

ZHAO, Jun-Hui, Astrophysicist. B.S. (1982), M.S. (1985) Peking University; Ph.D. (1990) University of New Mexico. Research specialties: The Galactic center, dynamics of circum-nuclear disks, black holes, star formation, starbursts, AGNs, imaging techniques and interferometer software.

AFFILIATED RESEARCH STAFF

GOODMAN, Alyssa A., Research Associate of SAO; Professor of Astronomy, Harvard University; Founding Director of the Harvard Initiative in Innovative Computing. Sc.B. (1984) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; A.M. (1986), Ph.D. (1989) Harvard University. Research specialties: Radio through optical observations of the interstellar medium and star formation; special interests in velocity structure, magnetic fields, polarimetry; Scientific Data Visualization.

SOLAR, STELLAR, AND PLANETARY SCIENCES

Research in this division is directed toward understanding the physical properties of the Sun, other stars, and planets. The Sun is studied to determine its basic stellar properties and to understand how the Sun affects the Earth. Stars like the Sun, and other types of stars, are studied to determine stellar properties such as age and chemical composition, and to understand the formation and evolution of stars and stellar systems, including planets. Both solar and stellar work includes studies of the atmospheres and coronae. The division carries out research in extra-solar planet detection, as well as observational, computational, and theoretical work on small bodies in the solar system.  Space-based facilities include SOHO, TRACE, Hinode, Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), Spitzer, Chandra, and Hubble Space Telescope.  Ground based facilities include the MEarth Observatory, which is located at the Fred L. Whipple Observatory and which consists of 8 robotically controlled, 40 cm telescope designed to look for planets in around M dwarfs.  The HAT-South telescope network is now collecting data from three continents in the Southern hemisphere: Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, Sliding Springs in Australia, and at the HESS site in Namibia.

RESEARCH STAFF

AVRETT, Eugene H., Senior Physicist. B.S. (1957) Georgia Institute of Technology; Ph.D. (1962) Harvard University. Research specialties: Theory of stellar atmospheres and spectra; models of solar and stellar atmospheres; computer simulation of solar, stellar, and nebular spectra.

BRICKHOUSE, Nancy Susan, Astrophysicist; Associate Director, Solar, Stellar, and Planetary Sciences Division, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. B.S. (1977) University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Ph.D. (1984) University of Wisconsin, Madison. Research specialties: Plasma physics; solar and stellar coronae; plasma emission line spectroscopy; ultraviolet and X-ray spectroscopy of astrophysical sources; laboratory astrophysics.

CHEN, Guo-Xin, Physicist. B.A. (1989) Zhe Jiang University; M.S. (1992) Peking University; Ph.D. (2004) The Ohio State University. Research specialties: Theoretical Atomic Astrophysics.

CRANMER, Steven R., Astrophysicist. B.S. (1990) Drexel University; M.S. (1991) Ohio State University; Ph.D. (1996) University of Delaware. Research specialties: Heating of the solar corona and acceleration of the solar wind; Plasma physics and kinetic theory of waves and turbulence; Rotating hot stars (O, B, Wolf-Rayet) and circumstellar fluid dynamics; Radiative transfer and spectroscopy.

DUPREE, Andrea K., Senior Astrophysicist. B.A. (1960) Wellesley College; Ph.D. (1968) Harvard University. Research specialties: Astronomical s>pectroscopy; theory of solar and stellar atmospheres and spectra; stellar chromospheres and coronae; mass loss and stellar winds.

GINGERICH, Owen, Senior Astronomer Emeritus; Professor of Astronomy and the History of Science Emeritus, Harvard University. B.A. (1951) Goshen College; M.A. (1953), Ph.D. (1962) Harvard University. Research specialties: History of astronomy, especially the sixteenth to twentieth centuries.

KALKOFEN, Wolfgang, Astrophysicist. Vordiplom (1956) Goethe University, Germany; M.A. (1961), Ph.D. (1963) Harvard University. Research specialties: Radiative transfer in continua and in spectral lines through static and moving media; radiative gas dynamics; propagation and dissipation of shock waves in stellar atmospheres.

KENYON, Scott J., Senior Astrophysicist. B.S. (1978) Arizona State University; M.S. (1979), Ph.D. (1983) University of Illinois. Research specialties: Numerical calculations of planet formation; structure of debris disks; the formation and evolution of single and multiple stars; accretion disks.

KOHL, John L., Senior Astrophysicist;. B.S. (1963) Muskingum College; M.S. (1966), Ph.D. (1969) University of Toledo. Research specialties: Space based spectroscopic experiments to study the acceleration and evolution of solar wind streams and coronal mass ejections..

KORZENNIK, Sylvain G., Physicist. Degree of Engineering (1977) Free University of Brussels; Ph.D. (1990) University of California, Los Angeles. Research specialties: Astronomy; solar physics; helioseismology; astroseismology; extrasolar planets.

MIRALLES, Mari Paz, Astrophysicist. M.Sc. (1989), Ph.D. (1993) Complutense University of Madrid. Research specialties: Solar physics: solar corona, ultraviolet spectroscopy of solar-wind source regions; star formation: radio astronomy, molecular clouds, OB stars, ultracompact H II regions, infrared imaging and spectroscopy.

NOYES, Robert W., Astrophysicist; Professor of Astronomy, Harvard University. B.A. (1957) Haverford College; Ph.D. (1963) California Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Solar and stellar physics; solar structure and dynamics; detection and characterization of planets around other stars; origin and evolution of planetary systems.

PANASYUK, Alexander V., Computer Scientist. M.S. (1988) Moscow Physical Technical Institute; Ph.D. (1992) Acoustics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow. Research specialties: Propagation of acoustical waves in nonlinear media; numerical analysis and simulation; software development for data acquisition and control systems.

PETAEV, Michail, Senior Geologist. M.A. (1979) Moscow State University; Ph.D. (1985) Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Moscow. Research specialties: Experimental and theoretical cosmochemistry; petrologic and chemical studies of the meteoritic record of events and processes in the primordial solar nebula; thermodynamic and kinetic modeling of nebular condensation and igneous and aqueous processes on asteroids.

RAYMOND, John C., Astrophysicist. B.A. (1970), Ph.D. (1976) University of Wisconsin, Madison. Research specialties: Supernova remnants; solar physics; cataclysmic variables.

ROSATI, Richard, Physicist. B.A. (1992) Boston University; M.S. (1997), Ph.D. (2003) University of Pittsburgh. Research specialties: Atomic, Molecular, Optical and Plasma Physics; Experimental Astrophysics.

SOON, Willie, Astrophysicist. B.Sc. (1985), M.Sc. (1987), Ph.D. (1991)[with distinction] University of Southern California. Research specialties: Observational analysis and physical modeling of phenomena relevant to the Sun, Sun-like stars, and the Earth.

SPAHR, Timothy, Astronomer. B.S. (1993) University of Arizona; Ph.D. (1998) University of Florida. Research specialties: Distribution of asteroids; sky surveys for near-Earth objects; determination of orbits.

STRACHAN, Leonard, Astrophysicist. S.B. (1982) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; A.M. (1987), Ph.D. (1990) Harvard University. Research specialties: Observations and modeling of the solar corona and solar wind; ultraviolet spectroscopy from space.

VAN BALLEGOOIJEN, Adriaan, Astrophysicist. Ph.D. (1982) State University of Utrecht. Research specialties: Solar magnetic fields; magnetohydrodynamics; nonthermal heating of the solar atmosphere; solar prominences.

AFFILIATED RESEARCH STAFF

BELL, Barbara, Astronomer Emeritus, Harvard College Observatory. A.B. (1944), Ph.D. (1951) Radcliffe College. Research specialties: Associations between solar phenomena and geomagnetic disturbances; postglacial climate fluctuations and their possible role in ancient history, especially Egypt and the Nile; spectroscopy; solar spectrum; solar gf values.

CHARBONNEAU, David B., Thomas D. Cabot Associate Professor of Astronomy, Harvard University. Hons B.Sc. (1996) University of Toronto; A.M (1999), Ph.D. (2001) Harvard University. Research specialties: Detection and characterization of planets orbiting nearby stars; design and implementation of automated telescopes for photometric monitoring.

FRANKLIN, Fred A., Astronomer and Physicist. B.A. (1954) Harvard College; M.A. (1956), Ph.D. (1962) Harvard University. Research specialties: Planetary photometry; stability problems; investigations of concentration and scattering properties of small particles in the solar system; techniques and instrumentation to measure the Earth's albedo.

KURUCZ, Robert L., Research Associate. A.B. (1966) Harvard College; Ph.D. (1973) Harvard University. Research specialties: Radiative transfer; stellar atmospheres; solar physics; atomic and molecular spectroscopy.

SASSELOV, Dimitar, Professor, Harvard University. M.Sc. (1986), Ph.D. (1988) University of Sofia; Ph.D. (1990) University of Toronto. Research specialties: Stellar pulsation; radiation hydrodynamics; stellar spectroscopy; extrasolar planets.

THEORETICAL ASTROPHYSICS

Research in the Theoretical Astrophysics division utilizes both physical analysis and mathematical modeling to understand astronomical systems. A broad range of topics is investigated, including the formation, structure, and evolution of stars, the properties of atoms and molecules in interstellar space, the structure and properties of accretion systems, high-temperature plasmas, the formation and evolution of planetary systems, both solar and extrasolar, the formation of galaxies, clusters, and quasars in the universe, and theories of the early universe.

RESEARCH STAFF

CHANDLER, John F., Physicist. S.B. (1973), Ph.D. (1979) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Experimental tests of general relativity; planetary ephemerides; interplanetary radar ranging; astrometric optical interferometry.

DI STEFANO, Rosanne, Astrophysicist. B.A. (1973) Queens College of the City University of New York; M.A. (1976) Columbia University; Ph.D. (1982) State University of New York, Stony Brook. Research specialties: Gravitational lensing, particularly its application to the study of stellar remnants and planetary systems in the vicinity of the Sun; Interacting binaries, especially the progenitors of Type Ia supernovae; Wide-field monitoring surveys, including Kepler, the microlensing surveys, Pan-STARRS and LSST.

HOLMAN, Matthew J., Astrophysicist; Associate Director, Theoretical Astrophysics Division, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. S.B. (1989), Ph.D. (1994) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Nonlinear dynamics; solar system dynamics; extrasolar planetary systems; ground-based and space-based optical astronomy.

LIU, Jifeng, Astrophysicist. B.S. (1996), M.S. (1999) Beijing University, Ph.D. (2005) University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Research specialties: Ultraluminous X-ray sources: are they intermediate mass black holes?- how fast are black holes spinning?; 3D stellar and dust structure of MW.

RYBICKI, George B., Senior Physicist; Professor of the Practice of Astronomy, Harvard University. B.S. (1956) Carnegie-Mellon University; M.A. (1957), Ph.D. (1965) Harvard University. Research specialties: Radiative processes and radiative transfer; cosmology; radiation hydrodynamics; stellar and galactic dynamics.

SHAPIRO, Irwin I., Senior Scientist, Smithsonian Institution; Timken University Professor, Harvard University. A.B. (1950) Cornell University; A.M. (1951), Ph.D. (1955) Harvard University. Research specialties: Radio and radar techniques: applications to astrometry, astrophysics, geophysics, planetary physics, and tests of theories of gravitation; precollege and college science education: curriculum development and teacher training.

AFFILIATED RESEARCH STAFF

FINKBEINER, Douglas Paul, Assistant Professor of Astronomy, Harvard University. B.S. (1994) University of Michigan; Ph.D. (1999) University of California, Berkeley. Research specialties: Interstellar dust; observational cosmology; particle astrophysics.

HERNQUIST, Lars Eric, Mallinckrodt Professor of Astrophysics, Harvard University. B.A. (1977) Cornell University; Ph.D. (1985) California Institute of Technology; M.A., Hon. (1998) Harvard University. Research specialties: Cosmology; physics of compact stars; numerical astrophysics.

LOEB, Abraham, Professor of Astronomy, Director of the Institute for Theory & Computation, Harvard University. B.Sc. (1983), M.Sc. (1985), Ph.D. (1986) Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Research specialties: Theoretical cosmology and astrophysics.

NARAYAN, Ramesh, Senior Astronomer; Professor of Astronomy, Harvard University. B.S. (1971) University of Madras; M.S. (1973), Ph.D. (1979) Bangalore University. Research specialties: Gravitational lensing; accretion disks; black holes; neutron stars; gamma-ray bursts.

STUBBS, Christopher William, Professor, Harvard University. B.Sc. (1981) University of Virginia; Ph.D. (1988) University of Washington. Research specialties: Fundamental physics, dark matter, dark energy, experimental gravitation, observational cosmology.

SCIENCE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

The Science Education Department (SED) conducts several programs designed to improve the teaching of precollege science, mathematics and technology, partly through the use of examples from astronomy and space science. These programs include the development of curriculum materials and standardized tests, the integration of its robotic telescopes into classroom projects, the production of films and videos, research on the effect of pre-college science courses on students' college science success, and the training of pre-college educators. Areas of interest include the development of innovative educational technologies, scientific visualizations, and research methodologies.

RESEARCH STAFF

GOULD, Roy R., Education Analyst, SAO Education Forum. A.B. (1968) Cornell University; Ph.D. (1974) Harvard University. Research specialties: Science education; technology-based tools for science and math education; integration of contemporary science into school curricula; public understanding of science.

SADLER, Philip M., Frances W. Wright Senior Lecturer on Celestial Navigation, Harvard University; Director, Science Education Department, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. B.S. (1973) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Ed.M. (1974), Ed.D. (1992) Harvard University. Research specialties: Science education; children's scientific misconceptions; remote telescopes; curriculum development; simulation software; celestial navigation; sundials; assessment; technology education; history of science.

SCHNEPS, Matthew H., Director, Laboratory for Visual Learning. B.S. (1974) City College of New York; Ph.D. (1979) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research specialties: Science education; use of computer media for science learning; student preconceptions in science; impact of learning disabilities in science; visual learning; neurology of vision, memory and attention; eye tracking.

AFFILIATED RESEARCH STAFF

COOK-SMITH, Nancy, Psychometrician. B.A. (1972) Presbyterian College (Clinton, South Carolina); M.S.L.S. (1974) University of Kentucky; PhD. (1989) University of South Carolina. Research specialties: Qualitiative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research in education and behaviorial/social sciences; educational assessment and program evaluation.

SONNERT, Gerhard, Research Associate. M.A. (1982), Dr. phil. (1986) University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany; M.P.A. (1988) Harvard University. Research specialties: Sociology of science, of gender, and of education; history of science; science education.

WARD, R. Bruce, Senior Research Associate, Harvard College Observatory. B.A. (1958) Macalester College; Th.M. (1962) McCormick Seminary; Ed.M. (1982), Ed.D. (1988) Harvard University. Research specialties: Science education; school-to-work programs; integration of contemporary learning theory into science and technology education.

Smithsonian Research Staff and Affiliated Research Staff E-Mail Directory