Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy
Director
With a qualitatively new observatory, the only the we can predict with confidence is that we will see things we don’t already know about. I’m interested in the rocky and icy bodies that communicate between different parts of stellar systems. That includes comets and their debris, both from outgassing and from splitting and outburst events. Asteroid collisions (and activity) will produce “extended asteroid” objects in the LSST. Also, we should be on the lookout for changes around other stars due to “dust production events” from their planetary systems. I’ve done research on interplanetary dust, comets, interstellar medium, supernova remnants, cosmic backgrounds, and white dwarf dust. I’m a senior scientist with an observatory management background, and I can provide guidance on that career path.