Andrea Ghez
| Andrea M. Ghez | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 16, 1965 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Institutions | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Alma mater |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S. Physics, 1987) California Institute of Technology (Ph.D., 1992) |
| Known for | The use of adaptive optics in studies of the galactic center. |
Andrea Mia Ghez (born June 16, 1965) is an American astronomer and professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UCLA. In 2004, Discover magazine listed Ghez as one of the top 20 scientists in the United States who have shown a high degree of understanding in their respective fields.
Growing up in Chicago, Ghez first wanted to be a ballerina. The moon landings inspired her to want to become the first female astronaut and her mother supported her goal. Her most influential female role model was her high school chemistry teacher. She started out in college by majoring in mathematics but changed to physics. She received a BS in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1987 and her Ph.D. under the direction of Prof. Gerry Neugebauer at the California Institute of Technology in 1992.
Her current research involves using high spatial resolution imaging techniques, such as the adaptive optics system at the Keck telescopes, to study star-forming regions and the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way known as Sagittarius A*. She uses the kinematics of stars near the center of the Milky Way as a probe to investigate this region. The high resolution of the Keck telescopes gave a significant improvement over the first major study of galactic center kinematics by Reinhard Genzel's group.
In 2004, Ghez was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. She has appeared in a long list of notable media presentations. The documentaries have been produced by organizations such as BBC, Discovery Channel, and The History Channel; in 2006 there was a presentation on Nova. She was identified as a Science Hero by The My Hero Project.
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