# People # People The Harvard Astronomy Department faculty are members of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian ([CfA](http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/)) which is a collaboration of [Harvard College Observatory](http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/hco/) (HCO) and [Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory](http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/sao/) (SAO). In addition to Harvard Faculty advisors, Harvard graduate students may also elect to work with SAO scientists. - [Astronomy Alumni](/astronomy-alumni "Alumni") - [Astrophysics Advisors](/book/astrophysics-advisors "Astrophysics Advisors") If you would like to change your personal profile, please contact Mark Palmer at ### Faculty expand\_more ## Faculty [### Charles R. Alcock ](/people/charles-r-alcock) Donald H. Menzel Professor of Astrophysics Research Interests: The determination of the composition of cosmic dark matter, innovative surveys of the outer solar system, massive compact halo objects, comets and asteroids. Professor Alcock was educated at the University of Auckland, New Zealand and... ![alcock.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/alcock.jpg?itok=KMKMqYSv) [### Edo Berger ](/people/edo-berger) Professor of Astronomy Research interests: The study of gamma-ray bursts, optical transients (mainly from the Pan-STARRS project), and magnetic fields in low-mass stars and brown dwarfs. He uses observations across the electromagnetic spectrum, from radio to γ-rays... ![berger.png](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/berger.png?itok=SE4e4vz-) [### David Charbonneau ](/people/david-charbonneau) Fred Kavli Professor of Astrophysics Chair of the Department Research Interests: Detection and characterization of extrasolar planets, with the goal of studying inhabited worlds. In pursuit of this goal I also pursue novel ground-based and space-based instrumentation, and studies of stellar astrophysics... ![David Charbonneau Headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/david-charbonneau-headshot_profile.jpg?itok=Xx6clvHE) [### Xingang Chen ](/people/xingang-chen) Senior Lecturer in Astronomy Research Interests: Early universe models, primordial density perturbations, cosmic microwave background, large scale structure, dark matter, and string cosmology. Dr. Chen received his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 2003 and held postdoc positions at... ![X. Chen](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/xingang-chen-utd.jpg?itok=lRUHf52I) [### Liam Connor ](/people/liam-connor) Assistant Professor of Astronomy Research interests: The origin of Fast Radio Bursts and their application to cosmology; the intersection of AI and astrophysics, in particular computer vision methods for astronomical imaging and ill-posed 3D reconstruction. To advance these subjects, I... ![Liam Connor 2024 headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/headshot_2.jpg?itok=cn2xW4hW) [### Charlie Conroy ](/people/charlie-conroy) Professor of Astronomy Research Interests: Galaxy formation and evolution, connection between galaxies and dark matter halos, stellar population modeling, stellar evolution. ![Charlie Conroy headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/conroy%20%281%29.jpg?itok=y-_LT7Lv) [### Daniel Eisenstein ](/people/daniel-eisenstein) Paul C. Mangelsdorf Professor of Astronomy Research Interests: Cosmology and extragalactic astronomy with a mix of theoretical and observational methods; the development of the baryon acoustic oscillation method to measure the cosmic distance scale and study dark energy. Professor Eisenstein... ![eisenstein_d.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/eisenstein_d.jpg?itok=IIGPPghq) [### Douglas Finkbeiner ](/people/douglas-finkbeiner) Professor of Astronomy and Physics Professor Finkbeiner was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1971. He graduated from Pioneer High School in 1989, and enrolled in the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan. His Freshman year he helped build the legendary Sunrunner and was active... ![doug_trinity_thumb.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/doug_trinity_thumb.jpg?itok=E6QVi0p7) [### Alyssa A Goodman ](/people/goodman-alyssa) Robert Wheeler Willson Professor of Applied Astronomy Research Associate of the Smithsonian Institution Research Interests: Goodman's work spans astrophysics, science education, data science, data visualization, and prediction. Her astrophysical research is aimed at understanding how interstellar gas arranges itself into new stars and on new techniques for... ![Alyssa Goodman](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/alyssa.jpg?itok=F0AZVceZ) [### Lars Hernquist ](/people/lars-hernquist) Mallinckrodt Professor of Astrophysics Research Interests: Theoretical studies of dynamical processes in cosmology and galaxy formation/galaxy evolution. Numerical simulations of stellar dynamical and hydrodynamical systems. Investigations of the physics of compact objects, particularly... ![hernquist2010.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/hernquist2010.jpg?itok=k0Vw5ekh) [### John Asher Johnson ](/people/john-asher-johnson) Professor of Astronomy Research Interests: The detection and characterization of exoplanets. Received his Ph.D. and M.S. in Astronomy from UC Berkeley, and his B.S. in physics from the University of Missouri-Rolla (now known as the Missouri University of Science and Technology)... ![jj_bio_pic.png](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/jj_bio_pic.png?itok=gEEVxKab) [### Lisa Kewley ](/people/lisa-kewley) Director, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Professor of Astronomy Lisa Kewley is Director of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. She is Director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Director of the Harvard College Observatory, and Professor of Astrophysics at the Harvard Department of Astronomy... ![Photo](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/lisa-kewley-bio.png?itok=AKGplZQ_) [### John M. Kovac ](/people/john-m-kovac) Professor of Astronomy and Physics Director of Graduate Studies Research Interests: His cosmology research focuses on observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) to reveal signatures of the physics that drove the birth of the universe, the creation of its structure, and its present-day expansion. His... ![kovac.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/kovac.jpg?itok=DizDrWd2) [### Avi Loeb ](/people/avi-loeb) Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science Abraham (Avi) Loeb is the Frank B. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science at Harvard University and a bestselling author (in lists of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, Die Zeit, Der Spiegel, L'Express and more). He received a PhD in... ![Avi Loeb headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/avil.jpg?itok=GRabMPdM) [### Morgan MacLeod ](/people/morgan-macleod) Lecturer in Astronomy Morgan MacLeod is a theoretical and computational astrophysicist interested in the interactive moments in stellar lifetimes. His research draws on a range of techniques to model the appearance of stellar mergers, collisions, explosions, and planet... ![Morgan Macleod headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/macleod_morgan_ps_crop_0.jpg?itok=_VEyvurC) [### Ramesh Narayan ](/people/ramesh-narayan) Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of the Natural Sciences Research Interests: Gravitational lensing; accretion disks; black holes; gamma-ray bursts. Publications: astro-ph , ADS ![ramesh_office.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/ramesh_office.jpg?itok=WQlFpSDG) [### Karin Öberg ](/people/karin-oberg) Professor of Astronomy Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of the Natural Sciences Research Interests: Astrochemistry and its impact on planet formation, including the compositions of nascent planets. These topics are addressed using a combination of laboratory ice experiments, spatially and spectrally resolved millimeter observations... ![Karin Oberg head shot 12-2023](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/karin_4.jpg?itok=m6lMRGoA) [### Philip M Sadler ](/people/philip-m-sadler) F.W. Wright Senior Lecturer in the Department of Astronomy Director, Science Education Department Research Interests: Celestial navigation, developing graduate students' teaching skills, the STEM career pipeline, success in pre-college and introductory college STEM coursework, assessment and test construction, and the enhancement of the skills of... ![sadler.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/sadler.jpg?itok=CTbLP1p8) [### Dimitar Sasselov ](/people/dimitar-sasselov)Phillips Professor of Astronomy Director, Origins of Life Initiative Research Interests: Professor Sasselov studies the interaction between light and matter (radiative transfer) from stars and exoplanets to biomolecules at the origins of life, and astrobiology in general. He runs a photochemistry lab exploring the origins... ![2-dimitar_sasselov.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/2-dimitar_sasselov.jpg?itok=UNGrj2rM) [### Christopher Stubbs ](/people/istopher-stubbs) Samuel C. Moncher Professor of Physics and of Astronomy Research Interests: Foundations of gravitational physics, searches for dark matter, and observational cosmology. Christopher Stubbs is an experimental physicist working at the interface between particle physics, cosmology and gravitation. His interests... ![Dean Stubbs](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/stubbs.jpg?itok=5L3-W11z) [### Andrew Vanderburg ](/people/andrew-vanderburg) Assistant Professor of Astronomy Director of Undergraduate Studies My research focuses on studying exoplanets, or planets which orbit stars other than the Sun. I am interested in developing cutting-edge techniques and methods to discover new planets outside of our solar system, and studying the planets we find to learn... ![Andrew Vanderburg headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-07/Andrew%20Vanderburg%20headshot.jpg?itok=eOqFc8QR) [### Ashley Villar ](/people/ashley-villar)Assistant Professor of Astronomy Research Interests: Theoretical and observational studies of extragalactic transients, including core-collapse supernovae and kilonovae. Development of statistical and deep learning methodologies for wide-field surveys, such as the Vera C. Rubin... ![Ashley Villar headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/ashley_villar_headshot.jpg?itok=eC4ivzis) ### Professor Emeritus expand\_more ## Professor Emeritus [### Jonathan E. Grindlay ](/people/josh_grindlay) Robert Treat Paine Professor of Practical Astronomy, Emeritus Research Interests: High Energy Astrophysics: Studies of accretion onto compact objects (black holes, neutron stars and white dwarfs). Development of detectors and telescopes for wide-field imaging surveys of black holes discovered in soft-to-hard X-rays... ![grindlay_j.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/grindlay_j.jpg?itok=uWsaXeSO) [### Robert P. Kirshner ](/people/robert-p-kirshner) Clowes Research Professor of Science, Emeritus Research interests: Observations of supernovae for themselves and for cosmology using HST, Magellan, MMT, and the Whipple Observatory. Use of rest frame infrared observations for Type Ia supernovae to improve measurements of dark energy properties... ![kirshner.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/kirshner.jpg?itok=4H9ntdm5) [### James M. Moran ](/people/james-m-moran) Donald H. Menzel Professor of Astrophysics, Emeritus Research Interests: Radio Astronomy, Supermassive Black Holes, Massive Star Formation, Active Galactic Nuclei, Extragalactic Distance Scale, Cosmic Masers. Instrumentation: Astronomical Detectors and Telescopes , Very Long Baseline Interferometers... ![jim_by1qh.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/jim_by1qh.jpg?itok=paBUNC0Q) [### Robert Noyes ](/people/robert-noyes) Research Professor of Astronomy, Emeritus Research Interests Solar and stellar seismology; solar structure and dynamics; detection and characterization of planets around other stars; origin and evolution of planetary systems. Publications ADS Abstract and Article database. ArXiv astro-ph preprint... ![noyes_pic.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/noyes_pic.jpg?itok=4-j27VZf) [### George Rybicki ](/people/george-rybicki) Professor of the Practice of Astronomy, Emeritus Research Interests Radiative processes and radiative transfer in stellar atmospheres and X-ray sources; radiation hydrodynamics; stellar and galactic dynamics. Publications ADS Abstract and Article database. ArXiv astro-ph preprint archive. ![rybicki_pic.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/rybicki_pic.jpg?itok=wAHu0GPI) [### Irwin Shapiro ](/people/irwin-shapiro) Timken University Professor, Emeritus Research Interests: Radio and radar techniques: applications to astrometry, astrophysics, geophysics, planetary physics, and tests of theories of gravitation; Pre-college and college science education: curriculum development and teacher training... ![shapiro_pic.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/shapiro_pic.jpg?itok=CH3gzgMh) ### Graduate Students expand\_more ## Graduate Students [### Mouza Almualla ](/people/mouza-almualla) Graduate Student Research interests: galaxy formation, Epoch of Reionization ![Mouza](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/g4r9otnruj8ejtuja4zp1r8uha7g5jv3717mlijiyrc6.png?itok=T-CfA62v) [### Wasundara Athukoralalage ](/people/wasundara-athukoralalage-0) Graduate Student Research interests: Multiwavelength transients, fast radio bursts ![Wasundara Athukoralalage](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/aw_small.jpg?itok=I2x_ma-2) [### Olga Borodina ](/people/olga-borodina) Graduate Student Research interests: Galaxy evolution. I run hydrodynamical simulations to study AGN feedback. ![Olga](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/unnamed.jpg?itok=QXmm8cgZ) [### Vedant Chandra ](/people/vedant-chandra) Graduate Student ![Vedant Chandra headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2026-03/headshot_2026.jpg?itok=CSwcvDD4) [### Erandi Chavez ](/people/erandi-chavez) Graduate Student Research interests: Supermassive black holes, black hole jets ![Erandi](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/20220501_142549_1.jpg?itok=fEOwQs3P) [### Siyuan (Sissi) Chen ](/people/siyuan-sissi-chen) Graduate Student Research interest: Gravitational Wave Astronomy and Multiwavelength Transients ![Siyuan (Sissi) Chen headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-08/IMG_1974.jpg?itok=uettQnf_) [### Shelley Cheng ](/people/shelley-cheng) Graduate Student ![Shelley Cheng](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/shelley_cheng.jpg?itok=DcEuv0pg) [### Hyerin Cho ](/people/hyerin-cho) Graduate Student ![Hyerin Cho](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/hyerin_cho.jpg?itok=5q0I_axB) [### Kaylee de Soto ](/people/kaylee-de-soto)Graduate Student person [### Adam Distler ](/people/adam-distler) Graduate Student Research Interests: Exoplanet Detection and Characterization, Dynamics ![Adam Distler headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-08/Distler.jpg?itok=xZU4hRCI) [### Victoria DiTomasso ](/people/victoria-ditomasso) Graduate Student Research Interests: Exoplanets and low mass stars ![Victoria diTomasso](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/ditomasso.jpg?itok=Qc64XQvA) [### Anna Fehr ](/people/anna-fehr)Graduate Student NSF GRFP Research Interests: Planet formation and Circumstellar disks ![Anna Fehr Headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/anna2.jpg?itok=WGxlcH62) [### Samuel Feyan ](/people/samuel-feyan) Graduate Student Research Interests: Theory of compact objects like neutron stars and black holes ![Samuel Feyan headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-08/GoogleScholarHeadshotUpdated.jpg?itok=VsEwkLKG) [### Walter (Will) Golay ](/people/walter-will-golay)Graduate Student Research interests: Radio transients and stellar radio emission ![Will Golay headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/golay_final.jpg?itok=kecO6asJ) [### Xinze (Sunny) Guo ](/people/xinze-sunny-guo) Graduate Student Research Interests: multiwavelength transients and supermassive black holes ![Xinze (Sunny) Guo headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-08/Sunny%20Guo.jpg?itok=TVtLFXeX) [### Alan Hsu ](/people/alan-hsu) Graduate Student Research Interests: Solar Physics ![Alan Hsu headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/alanhsu_portrait_2.jpg?itok=pEwhpx9J) [### Maryam Hussaini ](/people/maryam-hussaini) Graduate Student ![Maryam Hussaini](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/maryam_hussaini.png?itok=E15gULZw) [### Sonja Koehler ](/people/sonja-koehler) Graduate Student Research interests: galaxy formation and evolution, Epoch of Reionization, cosmological simulations ![Sonja Koehler headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-08/Harvard_ID_photo.jpg?itok=FCMCf0PU) [### Ralf Konietzka ](/people/ralf-konietzka) Graduate Student Ralf Konietzka's research focuses on cosmology and extragalactic astronomy, with a specific emphasis on Fast Radio Bursts, a new class of cosmological transients. Using a combination of numerical simulations, analytic theory, observations, and data... ![Ralf Konietzka headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-12/imageRMK_2.jpg?itok=3bau1T3L) [### Matthew Leung ](/people/matthew-leung) Graduate Student NSERC Canada Postgraduate Scholar Research Interests: Instrumentation, Machine Learning, Exoplanets ![Matthew Leung headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/matthew_leung_1000x1000_1_0.jpg?itok=3M8qRMKZ) [### Rongrong Liu ](/people/rongrong-liu)Graduate Student Research interests: theoretical and computational astrophysics ![RongrongLiu](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/2831723856641_.pic_hd.jpg?itok=nylKo982) [### Marissa Maney ](/people/marissa-maney) Graduate Student ![Marissa Maney](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/marissa_maney.png?itok=XJmVTCYE) [### Samuel McCarty ](/people/samuel-mccarty) Graduate Student Research interests: Radio astronomy, gravitational lensing, cosmology ![Samuel McCarty headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-08/100471907_662wbbrzve.jpg?itok=YEz8SVc7) [### Bao ("Tintin") Nguyen ](/people/bao-tintin-nguyen) Graduate Student Tintin is broadly interested in astrophysical black holes of all sizes and scales over cosmic time, across the electromagnetic and gravitational wave spectra. He is a member of the Event Horizon Telescope and the Black Hole Explorer collaboration. He... ![Bao (Tintin) Nguyen headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/tintin_nguyens_head_shot.jpg?itok=-TVVq83k) [### Theo O'Neill ](/people/theo-oneill) Graduate Student NSF Graduate Research Fellow Research interests: Interstellar medium, Star formation, Statistics ![Theo O’Neill headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/theo_oneill_0.jpg?itok=6tgXRc98) [### Kevin Ortiz Ceballos ](/people/kevin-ortiz-ceballos) [kevin.ortiz\_ceballos@cfa.harvard.edu](mailto:kevin.ortiz_ceballos@cfa.harvard.edu)Graduate Student ![Kevin Ortiz Ceballos](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/kevin_ortiz_ceballos.png?itok=5GCuidQh) [### Catherine Petretti ](/people/catherine-petretti) Graduate Student Research interests: Cosmic inflation, early universe cosmology, theory ![Catherine](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/ifsvieu9h1kc1oidrjmararbn6mgi7cwrr3fsn8pop46.png?itok=dvdTgJo7) [### Anya Phillips ](/people/anya-phillips)Graduate Student I use N-body simulations to study the detailed dynamics of tidally-disrupted globular clusters (stellar streams). ![Anya Phillips headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/aphillips_website.png?itok=eYLkTGg-) [### Jea Redai Adams ](/people/jea-adams) Graduate Student ![Jea Adams](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/jea_adams.png?itok=GlDcvZ63) [### Sophia Ridolfo ](/people/sophia-ridolfo)Graduate Student Fulbright PhD Scholar Research interests: galaxy evolution, star formation, interstellar medium physics Fulbright PhD Scholar person [### Clara Ross ](/people/clara-ross)Graduate Student ![Clara Ross headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/clara_ross_01.jpg?itok=yuebUw_j) [### Helen Shao ](/people/helen-shao) Graduate Student Research interests : CMB and large-scale structure cosmology, Machine Learning ![Helen Shao headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-08/Helen%20Shao.jpg?itok=E2L4zUNL) [### Anna Tartaglia ](/people/anna-tartaglia) Graduate Student ![Anna Tartaglia headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/img_6921_2.jpg?itok=GuujCnLl) [### Ana Sofia Uzsoy ](/people/ana-sofia-uzsoy) [ana\_sofia.uzsoy@cfa.harvard.edu](mailto:ana_sofia.uzsoy@cfa.harvard.edu)Graduate Student Research Interests: astrostatistics, machine learning ![Ana Sofia](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/jozqv1shbvyxozztrhu7jbuy1112dskivo517h1dikq6.png?itok=E8rUxaqh) [### Matthew Werneken ](/people/matthew-werneken) Graduate Student ![Matthew Werneken headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-08/_DSC6109.JPG?itok=P9kEUKWr) [### Abigail White ](/people/abby-white)Graduate Student Research interests: Astronomical instrumentation (optical, near-IR) ![Abigail White headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/awhite_headshot_0.jpg?itok=CkCtsFdh) [### Rebecca Woody ](/people/turner-woody) Graduate Student person [### Zihao Wu ](/people/zihao-wu)Graduate Student Research interests: Galaxies in the early Universe ![Zihao Wu headshot 2026](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2026-05/headshot.jpg?itok=UVpUj5O7) [### Srisurya Karthik Yadavalli ](/people/karthik-yadavalli) Graduate Student I study core-collapse supernovae – the violent explosions of massive stars when they reach the end of their life. These supernovae are so violent and bright that they can be seen across hundreds of megaparsecs from distant galaxies! Because this explosion... ![Srisurya Karthik Yadavalli](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/niagara.jpg?itok=K51AGfSP) [### Elizabeth Yunerman ](/people/liza-yunerman) Graduate Student ![Liza Yunerman](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/liza_yunerman.png?itok=Brqe9vWV) [### Qijia Zhou ](/people/qijia-zhou) Graduate Student Research Interests: Astrochemistry, protoplanetary disks, planet formation, origins of life My name is pronounced Qijia (chee-jah) Zhou (zo). ![Qijia Zhou headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/qijiazhou_harvardid.jpg?itok=SUJH-vHQ) [### Peixin Zhu ](/people/peixin-zhu) Research interests: Galaxy evolution, active galactic neclei, galaxy metallicity, shocks ![Peixin](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/xdoojse2jhygg37frpxhpaaaliewwyxphrh2zaqq7as6.png?itok=uqVBY_5e) ### Lecturers and Research Fellows expand\_more ## Lecturers and Research Fellows [### Sean Andrews ](/people/sean-andrews) SAO Astrophysicist Harvard Lecturer in Astronomy Research Andrews' research is focused on star and planet formation, with particular emphasis on making astronomical measurements related to the structure and evolution of protoplanetary disks around young stars. The physical conditions and material... ![andrews.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/andrews.jpg?itok=2tHw68Ss) [### Rosanne Di Stefano ](/people/rosanne-di-stefano) Lecturer in Astronomy SAO Senior Astrophysicist ![rose.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/rose.jpg?itok=VWb_Jno-) [### Shep Doeleman ](/people/shep-doeleman) SAO Astronomer Harvard Senior Research Fellow My research focuses on studying super massive black holes with sufficient resolution to directly observe the event horizon. To do this our group assembles global networks of telescopes that observe at mm wavelengths to create an Earth-size virtual... ![Shep Doeleman](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/shep.jpg?itok=YiuyS_Cx) [### Jason Eastman ](/people/jason-eastman) Lecturer in Astronomy HCO Research Associate ![Jason Eastman](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/jeastman.jpg?itok=MitoH8hV) [### Daniel Fabricant ](/people/daniel-fabricant-0) SAO Astrophysicist Associate Director, Optical & Infrared Division Lecturer in Astronomy Research interests: Large optical IR telescopes and instruments ![Daniel Fabricant](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/fabricant.jpg?itok=s-ns6aDU) [### Lincoln Greenhill ](/people/lincoln-greenhill) SAO Radio Astronomer Harvard Senior Research Fellow Greenhill is a Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Radio Astronomer at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. His primary research interest in observational cosmology is the Dark Age and Epoch of Reionization. He also... ![ljg.on_.vla_.barrel.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/ljg.on_.vla_.barrel_0.jpg?itok=yh47nKg2) [### Matthew Holman ](/people/matthew-holman) SAO Astrophysicist Lecturer in Astronomy Research Studies of the long-term dynamics of our solar system and extrasolar planetary systems. Observational surveys for Kuiper belt objects, Centaurs, and outer planet satellites using Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), Cerro Tololo Inter-American... ![holman.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/holman.jpg?itok=JcF8vkTr) [### Michael Johnson ](/people/michael-johnson) SAO Astrophysicist Lecturer in Astronomy Research Interests: I study the most compact objects in the universe – neutron stars and black holes – through imaging at extreme resolutions. Over the past few years, I have pursued direct observations of magnetic fields and orbital dynamics near a black... ![Michael Johnson](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/mjohnson.jpg?itok=luuxUayK) [### David Latham ](/people/david-latham) Senior Astronomer at SAO Lecturer in Astronomy Research Exoplanets have been my main research interest in recent years, initially with a focus on the detection of candidate planets, both with radial-velocity surveys and with space missions such as Kepler and TESS. Now my focus is on the confirmation... ![latham.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/latham.jpg?itok=z6HJLfc0) [### Morgan MacLeod ](/people/morgan-macleod) Lecturer in Astronomy Morgan MacLeod is a theoretical and computational astrophysicist interested in the interactive moments in stellar lifetimes. His research draws on a range of techniques to model the appearance of stellar mergers, collisions, explosions, and planet... ![Morgan Macleod headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/macleod_morgan_ps_crop_0.jpg?itok=_VEyvurC) [### Christopher S. Moore ](/people/christopher-s-moore) Smithsonian Astrophysicist Astronomy Department Research Associate Chris’ research interests include the atmosphere of stars. Currently, focusing on constraining solar coronal heating mechanisms during quiescence and flares. Specifically, working on techniques to improve constraints on the plasma temperature distribution... ![Christopher Moore](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/christopher_moore_1.jpg?itok=_VwhVbWm) [### Kathy Reeves ](/people/kathy-reeves) SAO Astrophysicist Project Scientist of the X-Ray Telescope (XRT) on the Hinode mission Research interests: Energy transfer in eruptions on the Sun, including solar flares and coronal mass ejections. I use both observational data and numerical simulations to trace the energy release in solar eruptions. ![Kathy Reeves](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/kathy_reeves.jpg?itok=aY0-N12c) [### Hossein Sadeghpour ](/people/hossein-sadeghpour) Director of the Institute for Theoretical Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics (ITAMP) SAO Senior Scientist Harvard Senior Research Fellow Hossein Sadeghpour is the director of the Institute for Theoretical Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics (ITAMP) at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Harvard College Observatory. ITAMP ( itamp.harvard.edu) is funded by the NSF. He is also... ![early-universe-galaxy-hst_1.jpg.pagespeed.ce_.1fcqq_1gok.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/early-universe-galaxy-hst_1.jpg.pagespeed.ce_.1fcqq_1gok_0.jpg?itok=FBfGLp-P) [### Jenna Samra ](/people/jenna-samra) Lecturer in Astronomy SAO Astrophysicist Jenna Samra develops telescopes and spectrometers to observe the solar corona at extreme ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths from aircraft, balloons, and satellites. Her research interests include solar magnetometry, optical design, modeling, and... ![Jenna Samra headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/samra_headshot.png?itok=nlCCBX6v) [### Gerhard Sonnert ](/people/gerhard-sonnert) Education Specialist Lecturer in Astronomy ![Dr. Sonnert](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/sonnert_gerhard.png?itok=CE-Unz_u) [### Andrew Szentgyorgyi ](/people/andrew-szentgyorgyi) SAO Astrophysicist Lecturer in Astronomy Szentgyorgyi has worked in a number of astrophysical areas including neutrino astronomy, very high energy gamma astronomy and X-ray astronomy. For the last two decades he has focused on optical high dispersion stellar spectroscopy with a focus on... ![untitled-24_mod_2.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/untitled-24_mod_2.jpg?itok=CPjKLSxN) [### Kim-Vy Tran ](/people/kim-vy-tran) Lecturer in Astronomy Associate Director for Internal Relations, CfA Research Interests: Galaxy formation and evolution; Strong gravitational lensing; Extragalactic surveys; Cosmology; Space-based observations Kim-Vy Tran has been a professional astronomer for 20+ years. Prior to joining the CfA, she was a professor at the... ![Kim-Vy Tran headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/202209-vy-small.jpg?itok=aPucrlJ4) [### Grant Tremblay ](/people/grant-tremblay) Lecturer in Astronomy SAO Astrophysicist Research Interests: Galaxy clusters, galaxy evolution and dynamics, AGN, cosmology, space policy and mission development ![Grant Tremblay](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/grant_tremblay.png?itok=M1UUN6zv) [### David J Wilner ](/people/david-j-wilner) SAO Astrophysicist Lecturer in Astronomy Research Wilner's main research interests are (1) circumstellar disks and the formation of planets, and (2) the development of aperture synthesis techniques. Some of his science program makes use of the Submillimeter Array near the summit of Mauna Kea... ![alma_sep12.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/alma_sep12.jpg?itok=fK_F7VVA) [### Jennifer Yee ](/people/jennifer-yee) SAO Astrophysicist Lecturer in Astronomy Research Interests: Microlensing searches for exoplanets, brown dwarfs, and other objects, including detailed characterization using space-based microlensing parallaxes. ![Jennifer Yee headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/yee_headshot_cropped_small.png?itok=6q3gG-kI) [### Catherine Zucker ](/people/catherine-zucker) SAO Astrophysicist Lecturer in Astronomy Research Interests: Structure and dynamics of the Milky Way, the interstellar medium, star formation, and young stellar populations. I leverage new and upcoming photometric, astrometric, and spectroscopic surveys to construct higher-dimensional models of... ![Catherine Zucker headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-07/Catherine-Zucker-bio.jpg?itok=dCfPsUrD) ### Staff expand\_more ## Staff [### Allyson Bieryla ](/people/allyson-bieryla) Manager of the Astronomy Lab and Clay Telescope Assistant DUS in Astronomy ![Allyson Bieryla headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/Allyson-Bieryla-bio-0124.jpg?itok=SSgxaWiN) [### Peg Herlihy ](/people/peg-herlihy) Department Administrator ![hudf1_0_0.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/hudf1_0_0.jpg?itok=I_LcZaAi) [### Mark Palmer ](/people/mark-palmer) Academic Coordinator Mark joins the Astronomy Department after serving as Group Administrator of the ITC for nine years. His retirement has been set for Thursday, June 30, 2033--please save the date! Outside of work, Mark dances Blues and Fusion (and occasionally Swing), runs... ![Mark Palmer headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6286/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/astronomy/files/mark_palmer_small_image.jpg?itok=PCGwv_Jy) ## Advanced People Directory Search [ Go to People Directory arrow\_circle\_right ](/people-directory)