Open Letter to NSF Director
On June 26, 2023, AURA sent the following letter to Dr. Sethruaman Panchanathan, Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), reminding him of NSF’s important role in implementing the recommendations of the most recent decadal survey in astronomy and astrophysics, Astro2020. The letter was signed by 242 faculty and staff from AURA’s member institutions.
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Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan
Director, National Science Foundation
2415 Eisenhower Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22314
June 26, 2023
Dear Dr. Panchanathan:
We, the undersigned staff, faculty and Member Representatives of Member Institutions of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), write to urge the National Science Foundation (NSF) to take urgent and decisive action to implement the recommendations of Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s, the report of the “Astro2020” Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics. It has been nearly two years since the Astro2020 report was issued – a report the National Science Foundation itself helped charter and fund the National Academies to produce. Now, without urgent near-term investments in the large projects recommended by Astro2020, the United States risks permanently losing its global scientific leadership in astronomy.
The astronomy decadal survey is the globally established “gold standard” for providing the roadmap for the United States to remain the leader in astronomy worldwide. Astro2020 distilled more than 850 white papers into a consensus document that outlines key science questions and identifies the ambitious science programs to address them. For NSF, in addition to a healthy program of individual investigator grants, Astro2020 recommends investments in three large facilities, the U.S. Extremely Large Telescope Program (US-ELTP), the Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA), and, with the Department of Energy, the CMB-S4 experiment.
The decadal survey identified investment in the US-ELTP – a joint program of NSF’s NOIRLab, the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), and the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) – as its highest ground-based priority “because of its transformative nature, and because of the urgency of this investment to the projects’ success”[1](emphasis added). The complementary designs of the two telescopes in a bi-hemispheric system with full-sky access will allow scientists to probe key questions in astronomy and astrophysics, ranging from searching for life outside our solar system to understanding the origin of the chemical elements. The program leverages more than $2 billion in partnerships with universities, foundations, and international partners, including Japan, Canada, India, Chile, Australia, Israel, and South Korea. TMT and GMT were found technically sound and ready for construction in preliminary design reviews completed earlier this year. The ngVLA, an array of 244 eighteen-meter antennas along with a short-baseline array of 19 six-meter antennas, will provide an order of magnitude improvement over current radio astronomy facilities. Key science goals with this system are studies of the formation of planets like those in our Solar System, and the formation and evolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes. The CMB-S4 experiment will use sensitive observations of the cosmic microwave background to probe the early history of the universe and its connections to fundamental physics.
These world-class tools are essential for maintaining U.S. scientific leadership in astronomy; moreover, they address the four themes that you articulated for NSF and outlined in the fiscal year (FY) 2024 Budget Request and in testimony on Capitol Hill.
Advance Emerging Industries for National and Economic Security. NSF commissions the Astronomy and Astrophysics decadal survey to ensure scientific leadership for the United States. But beyond ensuring that the United States does not lose its scientific leadership to Europe or China, building these large projects has implications for National and economic security. These projects require advanced capabilities and workforce development in fields that are essential for global competitiveness, such as engineering, detector technology, and data science. The forthcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory alone will generate 20 terabytes of data per night — about twice what the Hubble Space Telescope generates in a year. Using this trove of data will require advanced analysis tools. Already, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are speeding up how scientists comb through and analyze astronomical data, including the nearly 7 petabytes of astronomical data maintained by NSF’s NOIRLab, and finding sources human eyes might have missed. Astronomy is a real testbed for AI and in the future could also serve as an unclassified use case for quantum computing. Because new astronomy techniques test the limits of technology, partnerships with astronomers can enable technology commercialization as envisioned by NSF’s new Technology Innovation Partnership directorate.
These projects also project U.S. soft power, advancing our partnerships with strategic allies like India, Japan, Israel, Australia, Canada, South Korea, Brazil, and Chile – partners who could feel betrayed if their already substantial investments go to waste. With Europe already building a 39 meter Extremely Large Telescope, which should be on sky by 2029, U.S. astronomy can only keep up with a bi-hemispheric US-ELT system. And should we fail to keep up, we would be facilitating China’s aspirations to be competitive, if not dominant, in astronomy, which would have national security implications.
Research Infrastructure. The National Science Board’s Vision 2030 emphasized the importance of infrastructure:
“For the U.S. to remain a global leader in innovation, America’s researchers must have access to scientific facilities that will astonish the world – tools that let them see further, faster, and deeper. This infrastructure is critical for fundamental research, empowering U.S. businesses and entrepreneurs, and developing and attracting STEM talent. The world’s best talent – including American talent – will go where S&E opportunities are greatest. Increasingly, infrastructure is an essential part of that equation.”[2]
It is no coincidence that the graphic on this page of the report[3] shows a telescope. Research infrastructure is essential to support world class science, and no NSF-supported field requires large, shared facilities to be competitive internationally like astronomy does. If NSF fails to invest in next-generation research infrastructure, the United States will lose its leadership in astronomy, just as it lost leadership in particle physics when Europe invested where the United States did not.
Create Opportunities Everywhere – Engage the Missing Millions. Large astronomy facilities create opportunities everywhere in three ways. First, astronomy excites the American people, especially children, about STEM. The James Webb Space Telescope’s first science images landed in more than 26,000 online articles, and reached billions of people, driving internet traffic comparable to Amazon Prime Day. If we want to develop more STEM talent, we need to get students in the door. Most scientists, engineers, technicians, and teachers will tell you how they got hooked – and it’s not necessarily in the field where they ended up.
The second way to create opportunities everywhere is to ensure that telescope time and data are both available to and usable by researchers everywhere. A key reason for NSF to invest in 50% of the cost of US-ELTP and to build ngVLA is to make sure that not every user needs to know exactly how an instrument works or how to build a radio telescope in order to make cutting-edge scientific discoveries. The user support, observing tools, data reduction pipelines, and archives built and supported by NSF mean that a broader community can use the instruments for meaningful and impactful research. NOIRLab facilities, ALMA, Hubble, and JWST see so many users from diverse institutions precisely because of their robust user support. Efficient, effective queueing of observations allows more users, including those in EPSCoR States, at Emerging Research Institutions, and at Minority-Serving Institutions, to get meaningful data from these expensive and remote instruments, not only increasing the number of minds generating ideas to test using world class tools but also increasing the scientific productivity of the US-ELTP.
Third, the jobs created by these major facilities are not just for Ph.D. astronomers. Observatories like these require an extensive and diverse engineering, software, administrative, and technical staff, giving meaningful and rewarding career opportunities to large numbers of people with diverse skills. NSF’s NOIRLab employs hundreds of skilled workers across all of these fields.
Build a Resilient Planet. Beyond the US-ELT facilities’ ability to probe the atmospheres of other worlds, thereby helping us understand Earth’s atmosphere and its vital importance for our future, large astronomy projects in general help build the quantitative skills needed to connect changes today with resiliency many decades in the future. The teams we bring together to build these complex, decade-long projects, and the inspiration that the resulting “big science” generates across countries like the United States, are exemplars of what can be achieved by a multi-disciplinary, STEM-educated, and results-oriented workforce. Not only do complex problems get solved through intense teamwork, but the results from telescopes also create excitement in the public at large: science inspires curiosity, and curiosity inspires the motivation to learn more. Hence, NSF’s large facility teams model the approach that will be required to tackle some of the hardest problems society today faces in building a more resilient planet. Many astronomers engage in public outreach, including teacher training. Astronomy can engage and harness excitement like few other disciplines, and the skills acquired by teachers and their students can be applied across multiple fields of science, such as climate change, AI, biology, and data science.
In conclusion, Astro2020 is crucial as a roadmap for discovery and U.S. leadership in astronomy. But it is so much more. Building the ground-based facilities recommended by Astro2020 fulfills some of the highest goals and important challenges NSF has set for itself and the U.S. scientific community. These projects are technically sound, scientifically compelling, and ready to use significant funding wisely. Delay only serves to drive up costs without reducing risk. We are calling on NSF to move forward immediately, decisively, and boldly to seize the opportunity for U.S. scientists to make the next generation of astronomical discoveries, win the Nobel prizes, train the new STEM workforce, and help prepare the United States for a resilient future.
Sincerely,
Signed June 26, 2023:
Dr. Alberto Accomazzi
Program Manager and Principal Investigator
NASA Astrophysics Data System
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Charles Alcock
Donald H. Menzel Professor of Astrophysics at Harvard University
Senior Astrophysicist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Former Director, Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Professor Scott Anderson
Astronomy Department
AURA Member Representative
University of Washington
Dr. Sean Andrews
Astrophysicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Dániel Apai
Interim Associate Dean for Research, College of Science
Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences
University of Arizona
Dr. Taft Armandroff
Director, McDonald Observatory
Professor, Department of Astronomy
The University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Matthew Ashby
Astrophysicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. James Babb
Physicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Carlos Badenes
Associate Professor
AURA Alternate Member Representative
University of Pittsburgh
Professor Andrew J. Baker
Professor
AURA Member Representative
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Dr. Gaspar Bakos
Professor of Astrophysical Sciences
AURA Alternate Member Representative
Princeton University
Professor Bruce Balick
Astronomy Department
University of Washington
Dr. Barry Barish
Ronald and Maxine Linde Professor of Physics, Emeritus
California Institute of Technology
Dr. Sarbani Basu
William K. Lanman Jr Professor of Astronomy
AURA Member Representative
Yale University
Professor Jacob Bean
University of Chicago
Dr. Wystan Benbow
Astrophysicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Chad F. Bender
Associate Astronomer
Steward Observatory
University of Arizona
Dr. Bradford Benson
Associate Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics
University of Chicago
Dr. Edwin A. Bergin
Professor and Chair
Department of Astronomy
University of Michigan
Wendy Berland
Department Administrator
Science Education Department
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Rachel Bezanson
Associate Professor
AURA Member Representative
University of Pittsburgh
Professor Jon E. Bjorkman
Director, The Ritter Observatory
University of Toledo
Professor Karen S. Bjorkman
Distinguished University Professor of Astronomy
AURA Alternate Member Representative
University of Toledo
Dr. Guillermo Blanc
Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives
Carnegie Observatories
Dr. Alan P. Boss
Staff Scientist
Earth & Planets Laboratory
Carnegie Institution for Science
Dr. Brendan Bowler
Assistant Professor
The University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Joel Bregman
H.D. Curtis Professor of Astronomy
Department of Astronomy
University of Michigan
Dr. Laura Brenneman
Acting Division Chair for High Energy Astrophysics
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Roger Brissenden
Senior Scientific Advisor
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Blakesley Burkhart
Assistant Professor
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Dr. Nelson Caldwell
Astronomer
AURA Member Representative
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Hilda Campbell
Accountant
Financial Management Division
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Eric J. Chaisson
Faculty of Arts & Sciences
Harvard University
Dr. Priyanka Chakraborty
Postdoctoral Researcher
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Chi-kwan Chan
Associate Research Professor
Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory
University of Arizona
Dr. David Charbonneau
Fred Kavli Professor of Astrophysics
Harvard University
Ryan Chaves
Systems Engineer & Software Architect
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Igor Chilingarian
Astronomer
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Laura Chomiuk
Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Michigan State University
Robert D. Christensen
Supervisory Electronics Engineer
Submillimeter Array
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Haeun Chung
Assistant Research Professor
Steward Observatory
University of Arizona
Dr. J. Christopher Clemens
Provost
Jaroslav Folda Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Professor Laird Close
Steward Observatory
University of Arizona
Dr. Anita L. Cochran
Assistant Director
McDonald Observatory
The University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Thomas Connor
Astrophysicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Carlos Contreras Velásquez
Las Campanas Observatory Support Astronomer
Carnegie Observatories
Dr. Christopher Corbally
Adjunct Astronomer
University of Arizona
Dr. Sean Couch
Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Michigan State University
Dr. Jeff Crane
Associate Director for Technical Affairs
Carnegie Observatories
Dr. Katia Cunha
Associate Research Professor
Steward Observatory
University of Arizona
Dr. Thayne Currie
Associate Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio
Affiliated Research at the Subaru Telescope
Joseph D’Arco
Opto-Mech Design Engineer
Center for Astrophysics
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Rosanne Di Stefano
Senior Astrophysicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Lecturer on Astronomy
Harvard University
Peter Doherty
Physicist and Detector Engineer
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Megan Donahue
AURA Board Member
University Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Michigan State University
Dr. Ewan S. Douglas
Assistant Professor of Astronomy
Steward Observatory
University of Arizona
Tara Dowd
Astrophysicist/Mission Planner
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Jeremy Drake
Senior Astrophysicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Alan Dressler
Staff Astronomer Emeritus
Carnegie Observatories
Dr. Andrea Dupree
Senior Astrophysicist
Division Chair, Solar Stellar Planetary Sciences Division
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Center for Astrophysics
Past President American Astronomical Society)
Mary Dussault
Science Education Program Manager
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Peter Edmonds
Astrophysicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Eiichi Egami
Research Professor
Steward Observatory
University of Arizona
Dr. Daniel Eisenstein
Professor of Astronomy
Harvard University
Dr. Martin Elvis
Senior Astrophysicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Catherine C. Espaillat
Associate Professor
Director, Institute for Astrophysical Research
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Department of Astronomy
Boston University
Dr. Ian Evans
Astrophysicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Janet D. Evans
Chandra X-ray Center Software Development Manager
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Giuseppina Fabbiano
Senior Astrophysicist
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Daniel Fabricant
Senior Physicist
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Giovanni G. Fazio
Senior Physicist
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Steven Finkelstein
Professor
The University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Michael Fitzgerald
Professor
Director, Infrared Laboratory
Department of Physics and Astronomy
UCLA
Dr. William Forman
Senior Astrophysicist
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Pascal Fortin
Site Director
Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Jonathan Fortney
Professor
University of California, Santa Cruz
Dr. Federico Fraschetti
Senior Research Scientist
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard &
Smithsonian /
University of Arizona
Dr. Antonella Fruscione
Astrophysicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Brenda L. Frye
Associate Professor/Astronomer
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Department of Astronomy/Steward
Observatory
University of Arizona
Dr. Cecilia Garraffo
Director of AstroAI
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Dale E. Gary
AURA Member Representative
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Dr. Eric Gawiser
Professor
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Professor Andrea Ghez
Lauren B. Leichtman & Arthur E. Levine
Chair in Astrophysics
Director, UCLA Galactic Center Group
UCLA
Dr. Frederick J. Gilman
Buhl Professor of Theoretical Physics,
Emeritus
Carnegie Melon University
Dr. Oleg Yurievich Gnedin
Professor
University of Michigan
Dr. Iouli Gordon
Physicist
Director of the HITRAN project
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Paul Green
Astrophysicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Richard Green
Assistant Director for Government Relations
Steward Observatory
University of Arizona
Dr. Jenny Greene
Professor of Astrophysical Sciences
AURA Member Representative
Princeton University
Professor Puragra Guhathakurta
Astronomer & Department Chair
Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics
AURA Member Representative
University of California, Santa Cruz
Dr. Mark Gurwell
Astrophysicist
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Erika Hamden
Associate Professor
Director of the UA Space Institute
University of Arizona
Dr. Murdock Hart
Astronomer
Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory Ridge
Supervisor
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Kari Haworth
Associate Director
Technology and Engineering
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Timothy M. Heckman
AURA Alternate Member Representative
Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Sebastian Heinz
Professor of Astronomy
AURA Alternate Member Representative
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Dr. JJ Hermes
Assistant Professor and Director of Graduate
Admissions
Department of Astronomy
Boston University
Susan Hessenthaler
Administrative Specialist
Director’s Office
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Gary J. Hill
Research Professor and Chief Astronomer
McDonald Observatory
and Department of Astronomy
The University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Joseph Hora
Astronomer
Center for Astrophysics
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. John P. Hughes
Professor/Department Chair
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Dr. Leopoldo Infante
Director Las Campanas Observatory
Carnegie Institution for Science
Professor Buell T. Jannuzi
Director of Steward Observatory and
Head of the Department of Astronomy
University of Arizona
Dr. Rebecca Jensen-Clem
Associate Professor of Astronomy &
Astrophysics
University of California, Santa Cruz
Dr. Saurabh W. Jha
Professor
AURA Alternate Member Representative
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Dr. Sean D. Johnson
Assistant Professor
LSA Collegiate Fellow
Department of Astronomy
University of Michigan
Dr. Christine Jones
Senior Astrophysicist
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Colby Jurgenson
Instrument Scientist
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Hugh Kanner
Program Manager
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Margarita Karovska
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Vinay Kashyap
Senior Astrophysicist
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Steven Kawaler
Distinguished Professor
Astronomy
AURA Member Representative
Iowa State University
Dr. Robert Kennicutt
Professor of Astronomy
University of Arizona
Dr. Wolfgang Kerzendorf
Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Michigan State University
Professor Lisa Kewley
Director, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Professor, Department of Astronomy,
Harvard University
Senior Astrophysicist, Smithsonian
Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Daewook Kim
Associate Professor
University of Arizona
Dr. Jinyoung Serena Kim
Associate Astronomer/Associate Research
Professor
Steward Observatory
University of Arizona
Dr. Nicholas P. Konidaris
Staff Astronomer
Carnegie Observatories
Dr. John Kovac
Professor of Astronomy and of Physics
Harvard University
Dr. Michael J. Kurtz
Project Scientist
NASA Astrophysics Data System
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Marc G. Lacasse
Engineer
Site Support Scientist
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Michael P. Lesser
Astronomer and Research Professor
University of Arizona
Dr. Michael Liu
Astronomer/Professor
Graduate Chair
Institute for Astronomy
University of Hawaii
Dr. Mercedes López-Morales
Deputy Associate Director – Science
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Jessica Lu
Associate Professor
Astronomy Department
UC Berkeley
Dr. Jared R. Males
Associate Astronomer
Steward Observatory
University of Arizona
Dr. Mark Marley
Department Head and Director
Department of Planetary Sciences and Lunar
and Planetary Laboratory
University of Arizona
Dr. Daniel Marrone
Professor of Astronomy
University of Arizona
Dr. Buddy Martin
Project Scientist for Mirror Polishing
Steward Observatory
University of Arizona
Professor D. Christopher Martin
Director
Caltech Optical Observatories
California Institute of Technology
Dr. Walter E. Massey
University of Chicago
Former Director, National Science
Foundation
Dr. Robert D. Matthieu
Albert E. Whitford Professor of Astronomy
AURA Member Representative
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Dr. Michael C. McCarthy
Deputy Director
Associate Director and Senior Scientist
AMP Division
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Michael L. McCollough
Astrophysicist
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Ken McCracken
Senior Mechanical Engineer
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Jonathan McDowell
Astrophysicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Alfred S. McEwen
Regents Professor
Department of Planetary Sciences
University of Arizona
Dr. Julie E.M. McGeoch
High Energy Physics Division
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Brian McLeod
Astrophysicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Andrew McWilliam
Staff Astronomer
Carnegie Observatories
Professor Victoria Meadows
Astronomy Department
University of Washington
Dr. Gary Melnick
Senior Astronomer
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Michael R. Meyer
The University of Michigan
Dr. Nidia I. Morrell
Las Campanas Observatory Resident
Astronomer
Carnegie Observatories
ProfessorEmeritus Mark R. Morris
Professor Emeritus of Astronomy
AURA Member Representative
UCLA
Mark Mueller
Project Engineer for G-CLEF
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. John S. Mulchaey
Deputy for Science
Observatories Director
Crawford H. Greenewalt Chair
Carnegie Observatories
Dr. GyuChul Myeong
CfA Fellow
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Gautham Narayan
Assistant Professor
Deputy Director, Center for Astrophysical
Surveys (CAPS)
Department of Astronomy
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Dr. Andrew Newman
Staff Scientist
Carnegie Observatories
Sarah Nielsen
Assistant Director of Advancement
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Timothy J. Norton
Senior Manager of Operations –
Greenland Telescope
Interim Director of the Submillimeter Array,
Hawaii
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Paul Nulsen
Senior Astrophysicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Sally Oey
Arthur F. Thurnow Professor
Astronomy Department
AURA Member Representative
University of Michigan
Dr. Edward W. Olszewski
Emeritus Professor
Steward Observatory
University of Arizona
Dr. Brian O’Shea
Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Computational Mathematics, Science, and
Engineering
Michigan State University
Dr. Patrick Osmer
AURA Member Representative and
Professor Emeritus
The Ohio State University
Dr. Chris Packham
Professor
AURA Alternate Member Representative
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Dr. Fabio Pacucci
Clay Fellow
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Martin Paegert
IT-Specialist
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Scott Paine
Senior Physicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Nimesh Patel
Astrophysicist
Systems Engineer
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Mark Phillips
Las Campanas Observatory Director
Emeritus
Carnegie Observatories
Dr. Anthony L. Piro
Staff Scientist
Carnegie Observatories
Dr. Bill Podgorski
Optical Engineering Lead
Central Engineering
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Edward Prather
Professor
Steward Observatory
Department of Astronomy
University of Arizona
Dr. Chunhua Qi
Computer Engineer
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Scott W. Randall
Astrophysicist
Chandra Science Operations Mission
Planning Team Lead
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Ramprasad Rao
Submillimeter Array
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. John Raymond
Physicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Professor Seth Redfield
AURA Member Representative
Wesleyan University
Dr. Mark J. Reid
Senior Astronomer
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Jaehyon Rhee
Data Archive Scientist
Astrophysicist
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Professor Marcia J. Rieke
University of Arizona
Dr. Adam Riess
Nobel Laureate Physics 2011
Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Joey Rodriguez
Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Michigan State University
Dr. Suzanne Romaine
Senior Physicist
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Roger W. Romani
AURA Member Representative and
Stanford University
Dr. Arnold H. Rots
Legacy Fellow of the AAS
Research Associate
Center for Astrophysics
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Gwen C. Rudie
Staff Astronomer
Carnegie Observatories
Professor Jessie C. Runnoe
Assistant Professor
Department of Astronomy & Physics
AURA Member Representative
Vanderbilt University
Dr. Philip M. Sadler
F.W. Wright Senior Lecturer in the
Department of Astronomy
FAS Faculty Affiliate, Ph.D. in Education,
Graduate School of Education
Director, Science Education Department
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Arnab Sarkar
Postdoctoral Associate
MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research
Dr. Eric M. Schlegel
Vaughan Family Professor
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Dr. François Schweizer
Staff Astronomer Emeritus
Carnegie Observatories
Dr. Irwin Shapiro
Timken University Professor
Harvard University
Dr. Joshua D. Simon
Staff Astronomer
Carnegie Observatories
Dr. Evan D. Skillman
Director
Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics
AURA Member Representative
University of Minnesota
Dr. Paul S. Smith
Research Professor
Steward Observatory
University of Arizona
Dr. Randall Smith
Associate Director – Science
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. B. Thomas Soifer
Harold Brown Professor of Physics Emeritus
Division of Physics, Mathematics and
Astronomy
California Institute of Technology
Dr. Angela Speck
Professor
AURA Member Representative
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Ranjani Srinivasan
Manager, Central Engineering
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Antony A. Stark
Senior Astronomer
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Charles C. Steidel
Lee A. DuBridge Professor of Astronomy
California Institute of Technology
Dr. James (“Jack”) Steiner
Astrophysicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Jay Strader
Professor of Physics and Astronomy
AURA Member Representative
Michigan State University
Dr. Nicholas B. Suntzeff
University Distinguished Professor & Regents
Professor of the Texas A&M University System
Mitchell/Heep/Munnerlyn Chair in Astronomy
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Texas A&M University
Zachary Svec
Laboratory Coordinator
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Andrew Szentgyorgyi
Senior Astrophysicist
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Professor Paula Szkody
Astronomy Department
University of Washington
Dr. Charles Telesco
AURA Member Representative
University of Florida
Marie Terrell
IT Specialist (APPSW)
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Johanna Teske
Staff Scientist
Earth & Planets Lab
Carnegie Institution for Science
John Test
Electrical Engineer
SMA/RG
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Volker Tolls
Astronomer
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Laurence Trafton
Senior Reseach Scientist
McDonald Observatory
The University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Kim-Vy Tran
Associate Director for Internal Relations
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Grant Tremblay
Astrophysicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Vice President
American Astronomical Society
Professor Tommaso Treu
Vice Chair for Astronomy and Astrophysics
Physics and Astronomy Department
AURA Alternate Member Representative
UCLA
Dr. Monica Valluri
Research Professor
Department of Astronomy
University of Michigan
Dr. Anja van der Linden
Associate Professor
AURA Alternate Member Representative
Stony Brook University
Dr. Liese van Zee
AURA Member Representative
Indiana University
Assistant Prof. Andrew Vanderburg
AURA Alternate Member Representative
MIT
Dr. Sylvain Veilleux
Professor and Optical Director
AURA Member Representative
University of Maryland, College Park
Dr. Alexey Vikhlinin
Senior Astrophysicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Professor Eli Visbal
University of Toledo
MaryAnn Visniewski
IT Specialist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Jan Vrtilek
Senior Astrophysicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Saeqa Dil Vrtilek
Research Associate
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. Fredrick M. Walter
Professor of Astronomy
AURA Member Representative
Stony Brook University
Dr. Bradford J. Wargelin
Astrophysicist
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. David Weinberg
Department Chair and
Distinguished University Professor
The Ohio State University
Professor Benjamin Williams
Astronomy Department
University of Washington
Dr. Christopher N.A. Willmer
Associate Research Professor
Steward Observatory
University of Arizona
Dr. Steven P. Willner
Astronomer
Center for Astrophysics
Harvard & Smithsonian
Dr. David Wilner
Astrophysicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Scott J. Wolk, Sr.
Astrophysicist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Ann Zabludoff
Professor of Astronomy
University of Arizona
Joseph Zajac
Engineer
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dr. Dennis Zaritsky
Professor of Astronomy
Steward Observatory
University of Arizona
Dr. Steve Zepf
Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Michigan State University
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