# News [### Astronomy Class of 2026 GSAS Graduates ](/news/2026/05/astronomy-class-2026-gsas-graduates) May 29, 2026 The Astronomy Department congratulates our 2026 Class of doctoral graduates Vedant Chandra, Shelley Cheng, Hyerin Cho, Victoria DiTomasso, Jiwon (Jesse) Han, Osase Omoruyi, Sophia Sanchez-Maes, and Alexia Simon. ![GSAS Graduates 2026 group photo in Sanders Theater](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-05/IMG_4522.jpeg?itok=C3-_uvuF) [### Congratulations to the graduating Astronomy astrophysics concentrators! ](/news/2026/05/congratulations-graduating-astronomy-astrophysics-concentrators) May 28, 2026 Congratulations to the graduating Astronomy astrophysics concentrators! Our seniors this year are: Bruna Biz, Hannah Burrows, Callie Garcia, Sol Gutierrez-Lara, Amaan Khwaja, Thomas Leeds, Sophie Magaro, Ashini Modi, Mekhi Moore, Jasmine Palma Gomez... ![Astronomy graduating concentrators 2026 group photo](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-05/undergrads%202026.jpeg?itok=3A_rksGQ) [### Goldberg Prizes awarded to Astronomy concentrators Larom Segev and Carl (Cal) Guia at end of year Awards Ceremony ](/news/2026/05/goldberg-prizes-awarded-astronomy-concentrators-larom-segev-and-carl-cal-guia-end-year) May 27, 2026 The 2026 Goldberg Prizes awarded to Astronomy concentrators Larom Segev and Carl (Cal) Guia at end of year Awards Ceremony on May 26, 2026. Larom Segev won the senior Goldberg Prize for developing an automatic scheduler for the Rubin Telescope as it... ![Larom Segev receives the Goldberg Prize from Dave Charbonneau](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-05/Goldberg%20Prize%202026.jpeg?itok=vSkR2ah7) [### Vedant Chandra (GSAS, ’26) wins the 2025 Fireman Fellowship ](/news/2026/05/vedant-chandra-gsas-26-wins-2025-fireman-fellowship) May 27, 2026 The Astronomy Department is pleased to award the 2025 Fireman Fellowship to Vedant Chandra (GSAS, ’26), who was honored for the thesis "Mapping the Uncharted Horizons of the Milky Way." Advisor: Charlie Conroy The gift of Rita S. Fireman to the Harvard... ![Vedant Chandra receives the 2026 Fireman Fellowship from Dave Carbonneau](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-05/Fireman%202026.jpg?itok=sBmTWW-p) [### Hyerin Cho wins the 2026 ITC Keto Prize ](/news/2026/05/hyerin-cho-wins-2026-itc-keto-prize) May 27, 2026 The Astronomy Department congratulates Hyerin Cho for winning the 2026 Keto Prize from the ITC for the thesis " Black Hole Accretion and Feedback: From the Event Horizon to Galactic Scales" (Advisor: Ramesh Narayan). The Eric R. Keto Prize for Graduate... ![Hyerin Cho receives the 2026 Keto Prize](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-05/2026%20Keto%20Prize.jpg?itok=7QH3BJs5) [### Astronomy grads Adam Distler and Matthew Werneken win 2026 Hertz Fellowships ](/news/2026/05/astronomy-grads-adam-distler-and-matthew-werneken-win-2026-hertz-fellowships) May 06, 2026 Astronomy grad students Adam Distler and Matthew Werneken were announced as winners of 2026 Hertz Fellowships, providing financial and lifelong professional support for the nation’s most promising doctoral students in the applied sciences, engineering and... ![Adam Distler and Matthew Werneken headshots](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-05/Adam_and_Matthew.jpg?itok=PSBbjzFO) [### Three senior Astrophysics concentrators win 2026 Hoopes Awards ](/news/2026/05/three-senior-astrophysics-concentrators-win-2026-hoopes-awards) May 05, 2026 Congratulations to three Astrophysics concentrators on winning 2026 Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize for excellence in undergraduate work: Larom Segev for her submission entitled “Cloudy with a Chance of Data: A Dynamic Scheduler for AllSky Surveys with Real... description [### Beyond the Telescope: How Stars Shape Galaxies talk by Scott Lucchini and Alyssa Goodman ](/news/2026/05/beyond-telescope-how-stars-shape-galaxies-talk-scott-lucchini-and-alyssa-goodman) May 01, 2026 Beyond the Telescope: How Stars Shape Galaxies When: May 4, 7pm Where: Boston Museum of Science More Information and Registration Join astrophysicists Scott Lucchini and Alyssa Goodman on an expedition through the lives of stars and how they shape their... ![James Webb Space Telescope image of cluster](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-05/jwst_ngc628.jpg?itok=EWf_2kcu) [### Harvard astronomy seniors kick off careers with thesis presentations at the CfA ](/news/2026/04/harvard-astronomy-seniors-kick-careers-thesis-presentations-cfa) April 29, 2026 Cambridge, MA (April 27, 2026) — Six Harvard undergraduate astronomers presented their senior theses at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian this week, concluding a year of intensive training and hands-on research under CfA scientists. The... ![Undergraduate Amaan Khwaja discusses his model of the red giant Betelgeuse and its companion star.](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-04/KHWAJA.jpg?itok=HiOFMpdK) [### Allyson Bieryla Named 2026 Shapley Visiting Lecturer ](/news/2026/04/allyson-bieryla-named-2026-shapley-visiting-lecturer) April 08, 2026 The American Astronomical Society has named Allyson Bieryla--Manager of the Astronomy Lab and Clay Telescope, as well as Assistant DUS in Astronomy--a 2026 Shapley Visiting Lecturer. In her role, Alyson will give a series of astronomy-themed lectures to... ![Allyson Bieryla headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-09/Allyson-Bieryla-bio-0124.jpg?itok=i0q9wFY0) [### "Astronomy and dinosaurs are the gateway drugs for science for young people." An interview with Chris Stubbs ](/news/2026/03/astronomy-and-dinosaurs-are-gateway-drugs-science-young-people-interview-chris-stubbs) March 30, 2026 The Harvard Crimson interviewed Physics and Astronomy professor Chris Stubbs. Read the interview here. ![Chris Stubbs headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-03/Chris%20Stubbs.jpeg?itok=9klUDBTp) [### Vedant Chandra and Collin Cherubim win 2026 NASA Hubble postdoc fellowships ](/news/2026/03/vedant-chandra-and-collin-cherubim-win-2026-nasa-hubble-postdoc-fellowships) March 26, 2026 Congratulations to Astronomy grad student Vedant Chandra and EPS grad student Collin Cherubim for winning 2026 NASA Hubble postdoc fellowships! Vedant matriculated at Harvard in 2021; his advisor is Charlie Conroy. He will be defending his thesis at... ![Vedant Chandra headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-03/headshot_2026.jpg?itok=yTzF-rYr) [### Astronomy grad Maryam Hussaini finalist for Harvard Three-Minute Thesis ](/news/2026/03/astronomy-grad-maryam-hussaini-finalist-harvard-three-minute-thesis) March 23, 2026 Congratulations to Astronomy grad Maryam Hussaini for making the finals of the Harvard Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) --a competition for master's and doctoral students to develop and showcase their research communication skills in a language appropriate to a... ![Maryam Hussaini Three-Minute Thesis talk](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-03/202603_3MTCompetition_TR_235%20small.JPG?itok=q7AdLhO2) [### Astronomy Professor Karin Öberg Named Senior Vice Provost for Faculty ](/news/2026/03/astronomy-professor-karin-oberg-named-senior-vice-provost-faculty) March 16, 2026 Astronomy professor Karin Öberg will serve as Harvard’s next senior vice provost for faculty, coordinating faculty recruitment and appointment reviews, the University announced Friday. Öberg’s appointment, set to begin in July, comes roughly a week after... ![Karin Oberg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-03/Oberg.jpeg?h=418a0e36&itok=0hBs3caN) [### Harvard Astronomy grad Sophia Ridolfo awarded Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Award Honorable Mention ](/news/2026/01/harvard-astronomy-grad-sophia-ridolfo-awarded-chambliss-astronomy-achievement-award) January 29, 2026 Harvard Astronomy grad Sophia Ridolfo was awarded a Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Award Honorable Mention for her AAS247 poster research presentation ( [https://aas.org/posts/news/2026/01/congratulations-aas-247-chambliss-st…](https://aas.org/posts/news/2026/01/congratulations-aas-247-chambliss-student-award-winners) ). Sophia... ![Sophia Ridolfo presents poster at AAS247](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-01/AAS247_PM_0447%20small.jpg?itok=WvqcIun7) [### Jennifer Bergner delivers Bok Prize Lecture ](/news/2026/01/jennifer-bergner-delivers-bok-prize-lecture) January 27, 2026 Jennifer Bergner , Assistant Professor in Chemistry at UC Berkeley, delivered the Bok Prize Lecture on "The icy origins of planetary systems ," on January 27, 2026. Kenzie Bok, the great-granddaughter of Bart J. Bok, represented the Bok family and... ![Jennifer Bergner receives the Bok prize](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-01/IMG_5082.jpeg?itok=AVRuKo_i) [### Ashley Villar wins RCSA Awards! ](/news/2026/01/ashley-villar-wins-rcsa-awards) January 15, 2026 Congratulations to Astronomy Assistant Professor Ashley Villar for winning two RSCA Awards: Bridge Award: Support for “Luminous Supernovae in the Rubin Era” research. The Bridge Award is for universities disrupted by federal policy changes. Scialog Award... ![Ashley Villar headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/victoria-ashley-villar-headshot.jpg?itok=QwJDgzLU) [### Lars Hernquist receives the AAS 2026 Henry Norris Russell Lectureship ](/news/2026/01/lars-hernquist-receives-aas-2026-henry-norris-russell-lectureship) January 08, 2026 Lars Hernquist, Mallinckrodt Professor of Astrophysics at Harvard, received the 2026 Henry Norris Russell Lectureship at the AAS 247 conference in January 2026. The honor celebrates a career of eminence in astronomical research, for a lifetime of... ![Lars Hernquist headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-01/Lars%20%281%29.jpg?itok=acAcXGb8) [### Andrew Vanderburg Receives AAS 2025 Newton Lacy Pierce Prize in Astronomy ](/news/2026/01/andrew-vanderburg-receives-aas-2025-newton-lacy-pierce-prize-astronomy) January 08, 2026 Andrew Vanderburg, Assistant Professor of Astronomy at Harvard University, was awarded the AAS 2025 Newton Lacy Pierce Prize in Astronomy during the AAS 247 conference in January 2026. His research focuses on studying exoplanets, or planets which orbit... ![Andrew Vanderburg headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-07/Andrew%20Vanderburg%20headshot.jpg?itok=r01VLaq9) [### On Behalf of DESI, Daniel Eisenstein Receives 2026 Lancelot M. Berkeley–New York Community Trust Prize for Meritorious Work in Astronomy ](/news/2026/01/behalf-desi-daniel-eisenstein-receives-2026-lancelot-m-berkeley-new-york-community) January 08, 2026 On Behalf of DESI, Harvard Astronomy Professor Daniel Eisenstein Receives 2026 Lancelot M. Berkeley–New York Community Trust Prize for Meritorious Work in Astronomy The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) collaboration is an international... ![eisenstein_d.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/astronomy/files/eisenstein_d.jpg?itok=pXclUWL-) Show morerefresh