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John Belcher

Class of 1922 Professor of Physics, Emeritus
Research interests are within the areas of space plasma physics, in particular the interaction of the heliosphere with the local interstellar medium.

Hale Bradt

Professor of Physics, Emeritus
Before retirement: X-ray source positions and the follow-up studies of the objects identified. Recently: writing in military history.

Claude Canizares

Professor of Physics, Post-Tenure
Research in galactic and extra-galactic high energy astrophysics.

Deepto Chakrabarty

Professor of Physics
Department Head
Research specialty is in high-energy astrophysics and the physics and astrophysics of neutron stars.

Anna-Christina Eilers

Assistant Professor of Physics
Observational cosmologist aiming to understand the formation and growth of supermassive black holes.

Matthew Evans

Mathworks Professor of Physics
Works on providing the designs and foundations for the next generation of gravitational wave detectors.

Anna Frebel

Professor of Physics
Division Head for Astrophysics
Best known for her discoveries and spectroscopic analyses of the oldest, most metal-poor stars in the Milky Way and small dwarf galaxies.

Jacqueline Hewitt

Julius A. Stratton Professor of Physics
Current research interests are in radio astronomy investigations of the Cosmic Dawn.

Erin Kara

Associate Professor of Physics
Class of 1958 Career Development Chair
An observational astrophysicist, working to understand the physics behind how black holes grow and affect their environments.

Kiyoshi Masui

Associate Professor of Physics
Radio astronomer and cosmologist, whose work spans theory, data analysis, observations, and instrumentation.

Nergis Mavalvala

Curtis (1963) and Kathleen Marble Professor of Astrophysics
Dean, MIT School of Science
Focuses on the detection of gravitational waves and quantum measurement science.

Michael McDonald

Associate Professor of Physics
Focuses on the evolution of galaxies and clusters of galaxies, and the role that environment plays in dictating this evolution.

Sarah Millholland

Assistant Professor of Physics
Focuses on understanding the demographics, formation, and evolution of extrasolar planetary systems using data-driven dynamics.

Saul Rappaport

Professor of Physics, Emeritus
Interests centered on theoretical studies of the formation, evolution, and population synthesis of binary systems containing collapsed stars.

Paul Schechter

William A. M. Burden Professor of Astrophysics, Emeritus
Played a major role in the development and implementation of the active optics system for the 6.5-m Magellan Telescopes.

Sara Seager

Professor of Physics
Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Class of 1941 Professor of Planetary Science
Current research interests are focused upon exoplanet atmospheres, interiors, and signs of life by way of exoplanet atmospheric biosignature gases.

Robert Simcoe

Francis L. Friedman Professor of Physics
Director, MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research
Studies formation of the earliest stars and galaxies by constructing custom built spectrometers for major astronomical observatories.

Andrew Vanderburg

Bruno B. Rossi Career Development Assistant Professor of Physics
Explores the use of machine learning, especially deep neural networks, in exoplanet detection.

Salvatore Vitale

Associate Professor of Physics
Focuses on data analysis for gravitational waves signals detected with the LIGO instruments.

Rainer Weiss

Professor of Physics, Emeritus
2017 Nobel Laureate
LIGO inventor shares 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics for direct detection of gravitational waves.