Scientific Staff | ast.noao.edu

NOAO scientific staff, location, scientific interests, and functional duties. Personal web sites can be accessed by clicking on the scientist’s name. The NOAO South Staff are listed below, and as a group here.

Phone numbers and email addresses for all employees are available in the NOAO Phone List Search.

Tucson

**NOAO Science Staff**
Name	Rank	Scientific Interests	Functional Responsibilities	Location
Timothy Abbott (Tim)	Observatory Scientist	Variability studies; late stages of binary stellar evolution; Optical and IR observing systems: telescopes, instrumentation; operations	Blanco Telescope Scientist, ACTR chair, DECam team support member	La Serena
Helmut Abt	Astronomer Emeritus	Double stars; stellar rotation; stellar characteristics; publication practices in astronomy	Adjunct Professor, Nat. Ast. Obs. China	Tucson
Lori Allen	Senior Scientist	Star and planet formation; galactic structure; near-Earth objects; infrared instrumentation	NOAO Director (Acting); Associate Director for Kitt Peak National Observatory	Tucson
Adam S. Bolton	Senior Scientist	Observational cosmology; galaxies and dark matter; gravitational lensing; spectroscopic surveys; data mining, algorithms, and statistics	NOAO Associate Director for the Community Science and Data Center	Tucson
César Briceño	Scientist	Star formation, young stars	Telescope Scientist SOAR; SAM support.	La Serena
Regis Cartier	Research Associate	Supernovae, cosmology using SNe Ia, AGN variability, time-domain astronomy, observational techniques and surveys	SOAR support astronomer, Goodman and triple-spec support teams, outreach	La Serena
Arjun Dey	Astronomer	Observational cosmology, galaxy formation and evolution, active galactic nuclei, Milky Way structure and evolution, astronomical surveys	NOAO Project Scientist for DESI, DESI Observing Operations Manager	Tucson
Mark Dickinson	Astronomer	Galaxy formation and evolution; high redshift galaxies; active galactic nuclei	U.S. ELT Program Scientist	Tucson
Jay Elias	Astronomer	Instrumentation (especially infrared); transient phenomena; observatory operations	SOAR Director	Tucson
Mark Everett	Assistant Scientist	Exoplanet and host star characterization; stellar multiplicity; stellar variability; time domain studies	Observer and operations support for WIYN	Tucson
Katy Garmany	Emeritus Scientist	Massive star formation and evolution; formal and informal astronomy education, with particular emphasis on outreach to the Tohono O'odham nation, the Native nation where Kitt Peak is located	Tohono O'odham relations; NOAO press releases	Tucson
Stephen Heathcote (Steve)	Astronomer	Young Stellar Objects, Herbig-Haro outflows	NOAO Associate Director for NOAO South (including Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory)	La Serena
Kenneth Hinkle (Ken)	Scientist	Circumstellar and interstellar matter; molecular spectroscopy; peculiar stars; instrumentation	US NGO, Gemini user support (Archive, AO, IR instruments); Instrument scientist (Phoenix)	Tucson
Richard Joyce (Dick)	Scientist	Late-type stars; mass loss; infrared detector and instrumentation development	Mayall 4-m Telescope scientist, Instrument scientist (WHIRC), NOAO-DESI Scientist, Member WIYN Science Steering Committee (SSC)	Tucson
Stephanie Juneau	Associate Astronomer	Galaxy evolution; supermassive black holes; active galaxies	Data Lab Project Scientist; Data Lab Science Team Lead	Tucson
Thomas Kinman (Tom)	Astronomer Emeritus	Galactic structure; galactic halo; horizontal branch stars		Tucson
Tod Lauer	Astronomer	Large-scale structure of the Universe; distance scale; structure of galaxies; super massive black holes; stellar populations; planetary science; image processing algorithms	NOAO survey program liaison; NOAO survey data products; NOAO science highlights; US. extremely large telescope program	Tucson
Chien-Hsiu Lee	Assistant Scientist	Time-domain studies, gravitational lensing, exoplanets	CSDC, ANTARES alert broker	Tucson
Dan Li	Assistant Scientist	Circumstellar disks, polarimetry, asteroids, instrumentation	WIYN Support Scientist	Tucson
Roger Lynds	Astronomer Emeritus	Star and galaxy formation; products of galaxy interaction in the recent and early Universe		Tucson
Clara Martinez-Vazquez	Postdoctoral Research Associate	Resolved stellar populations; nearby dwarf galaxies; RR Lyrae and Cepheid variable stars; distance scale	DECam support astronomer, CTIO colloquium convenor	Tucson
Thomas Matheson	Astronomer	Supernovae; novae; gamma-ray bursts; time-domain astronomy; cosmology	Head of Time-Domain Services, ANTARES project	Tucson
Aaron Meisner	Research Associate	Wide-area optical/infrared surveys, rare object searches, citizen science, large data sets	Hubble Fellow	Tucson
Joan Najita	Astronomer	Star and planet formation; protoplanetary disks; astrochemistry; astrobiology; debris disks; exoplanets and substellar objects; Galactic structure; infrared spectroscopy; wide-field surveys; highly multiplexed spectroscopy	NOAO Chief Scientist; NOAO Press Officer; e-newsletter Currents editor; science-based strategic planning; academic affairs	Tucson
David Nidever	Associate Scientist	Galaxy formation and evolution; galactic chemical evolution; galactic structure; Magellanic Clouds; stellar populations; large photometric and spectroscopic surveys; software pipelines	Survey Data Scientist	Tucson from Bozeman
Robert Nikutta	Associate Scientist	AGN tori & central engine (IR & X-ray & sub-mm), surveys & catalogs (WISE, SDSS), Bayesian & advanced statistics, variability of AGN, IR interferometry, dust radiative transfer in clumpy media, software development, modeling & SED fitting, big data, HPC in astronomy, visualization	Survey Data Scientist	Tucson
Dara Norman	Associate Scientist	Gravitational lensing; large scale structure; quasars	NOAO Diversity Co-Advocate, Gemini user support (GMOS) (also assigned NDO, see above)	Tucson
Knut Olsen	Associate Astronomer	Stellar populations; galaxy formation and evolution; interaction of stars with the ISM	Data Lab Program Head; Data Lab Product Team Lead	Tucson
Sean Points	Scientist	Interstellar Medium (ISM); Magellanic Clouds; supernova remnants, evolved stars; instrumentation	Instrument Scientist: SOI, Goodman Spectrograph, COSMOS, and ARCoIRIS; Blanco Scheduler	La Serena
Stephen Pompea (Steve)	Observatory Scientist	Inquiry- and research-based science education; astronomical instrumentation	EPO Head, Manager Of Science Education, Public Information Officer	Tucson
Ronald Probst (Ron)	Scientist Emeritus	Star-forming regions; low-mass stars; infrared imaging instrumentation		Tucson
Jayadev Rajagopal	Scientist	Circumstellar dust, debris disks; high angular resolution techniques in optical/infrared; atmospheric turbulence	Head, WIYN Operations	Tucson
Stephen Ridgway (Steve)	Astronomer	Variability, transients and temporal sky surveys	Data Lab Time Domain Scientist, Optical Interferometry Community Liaison, Co-Diversity Advocate	Tucson
Susan Ridgway	Associate Scientist	Quasar host galaxies	Gemini user support (NIRI, GMOS)	Tucson
Abhijit Saha (Abi)	Astronomer	Variable stars; stellar populations; cosmological distance scale; imaging and photometry	Time domain scientist, ANTARES project; Chair, Promotions and Tenure Committee; WIYN Board member; member Gemini Science & Technology Advisory Committee.	Tucson
Malcolm Smith	Astronomer Emeritus	Global environmental impact of light pollution; the early Universe; quasars/active galactic nuclei	Site protection, EPO	La Serena
Verne Smith	Astronomer	High-resolution spectroscopy; cosmochemistry; nuclear astrophysics; chemical evolution; stellar populations; stellar atmospheres; stellar evolution	Chair of the NOAO Telescope Allocation Committee (TAC); President of the WIYN Observatory Board of Directors	Tucson
Monika Soraisam	Research Associate	Novae, variable stars, Type Ia supernova progenitors, stellar population of M31	Postdoctoral researcher	Tucson
David Sprayberry	Senior Scientist	Instrumentation and observing techniques; galaxy formation and evolution; statistical analysis of galaxy populations, especially dwarf and low surface brightness galaxies	Manager of NN-ETS; Project Manager for NOAO-DESI	Tucson
Letizia Stanghellini	Astronomer	Stellar structure and evolution; Galactic and extragalactic planetary	Head, US National Gemini Office	Tucson
Stephen Strom (Steve)	Astronomer Emeritus	Formation and evolution of planetary systems; origin of stellar angular moment		Tucson
Andrei Tokovinin	Astronomer	Statistics and formation of binary and multiple stars; adaptive optics; site testing	Instrument scientist(1.5-m echelle), project scientist (SOAR Adaptive Optics Module)	La Serena
Francisco Valdes (Frank)	Scientist	Asteroids; cosmology; gravitational lensing; stellar spectroscopy; astronomical software	Calibration pipelines; archiving; scientific aplications development	Tucson
Nicole van der Bliek	Scientist	Instrumentation; young stars and cool stars	NOAO South Deputy Director	La Serena
Katherina Vivas	Associate Astronomer	Stellar populations in the Milky Way and its satellites; variable stars; galactic structure	CTIO Support Astronomer, DECam support team member	La Serena
Alistair Walker	Astronomer	Stellar populations; the Magellanic Clouds; the distance scale; astronomical instrumentation and detectors	DECam Instrument Scientist, Leader of Optical Imagers Support Team, Member of the NOAO Promotion and Tenure Committee, Member of CTIO Advisory Committee on Technical Resources (ACTR)	La Serena
Constance Walker (Connie)	Scientist	Inquiry- and research-based science education; submillimeter-wave spectroscopy of star formation in galaxies at different epochs	Dark skies awareness, informal science programs	Tucson
Benjamin A. Weaver	Associate Scientist	Galaxy properties, large-scale structure, astronomical "big data", Python in astronomy.	Data management, transfer and archiving for Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). Development of user interfaces, visualization and utilities for spectroscopic data.	Tucson
Sidney Wolff	Astronomer Emeritus	Star formation; stellar rotation	President, LSST Corporation	Tucson
Alfredo Zenteno	Assistant Scientist	Observational Cosmology	DECam/Blanco Support	La Serena