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Robert Williams (astronomer)

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Robert Williams
Williams in 1986
Born
Robert Eugene Williams

(1940-10-14) October 14, 1940 (age 84)
Dunsmuir, California, U.S.
Alma mater
Awards
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions
Thesis The Ionization and Temperature Equilibrium of a Gas Excited by Optical Synchrotron Radiation  (1965)
Doctoral advisorDonald E. Osterbrock
Websitestsci.edu/~wms

Robert Eugene Williams (October 14, 1940)[1] is an American astronomer who served as the director of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) from 1993 to 1998,[2] and the president of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) from 2009 to 2012.[3][2] Prior to his work at STScI, he was a professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona in Tucson for 18 years and the director of Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory from 1986 to 1993.[4]

Education

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Williams studied at the University of California, Berkeley receiving a bachelor of science degree in 1962.[1] He completed a doctorate at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1965 with a thesis titled The Ionization and Temperature Equilibrium of a Gas Excited by Optical Synchrotron Radiation.[1] His doctoral advisor was Donald Edward Osterbrock.[5]

Career

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After receiving his doctorate in 1965 Williams was employed at the University of Arizona until 1983.[1] From 1985 to 1993 he served as director of the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, and from 1993 to 1998 he was director of STSci.[1]

As the director of STScI, he decided to devote a substantial fraction of his director's discretionary time on the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995 to the study of distant galaxies. This historic project resulted in the Hubble Deep Field, a landmark image showing in remarkable detail the structure of galaxies in the early universe. For his leadership of this project, he was awarded the 1998 Beatrice M. Tinsley Prize,[6] the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal in 1999,[7] and the 2016 Karl Schwarzschild Medal.[8][9]

A member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Williams' research specialties cover nebulae, novae, and emission-line spectroscopy and analysis. He is an advocate for science education and has lectured internationally on the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope.[10] In 1996, Williams made the controversial decision to offer the director's discretionary time on the Hubble Space Telescope to two competing teams using distant supernovae to determine the universe's expansion rate accurately. The two teams independently found that the universe's expansion was accelerating due to a previously unknown energy source. The leaders of the two teams were awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery.[10][11]

In 2015 Williams retired and was appointed emeritus professor of STScI.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Nemeh, Katherine H., ed. (2020). "Williams, Robert Eugene". American Men & Women of Science: A Biographical Directory of Today's Leaders in Physical, Biological, and Related Sciences. Vol. 16 (38th ed.). Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale. p. 12069. ISBN 978-0-02-866695-2. OCLC 1152235791.
  2. ^ a b "Prof. ROBERT WILLIAMS - Biography" (PDF). Space Telescope Science Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 8, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  3. ^ "Robert Williams". International Astronomical Union. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  4. ^ "Robert Williams". Space Telescope Science Institute. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  5. ^ "Robert Eugene Williams". AstroGen. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  6. ^ "Robert Williams". Associated Universities, Inc. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  7. ^ "Dr Robert Williams - Official Profile". Asteroid Day. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017.
  8. ^ "German Astronomical Society (AG) awards Robert Williams the Karl Schwarzschild Medal". Informationsdienst Wissenschaft. June 28, 2016. Archived from the original on August 17, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  9. ^ "Astronomer Robert Williams to Discuss his Work with the Hubble Space Telescope on Oct. 22 at UMass Amherst". University of Massachusetts Amherst. October 9, 2018. Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  10. ^ a b Drake, Nadia (April 24, 2015). "When Hubble Stared at Nothing for 100 Hours". National Geographic. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  11. ^ "Robert Williams, Recipient of the 2016 Karl Schwarzschild Medal". Hubblesite. NASA. July 29, 2016. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
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