Jennifer Wiseman

Dr Jennifer Wiseman is an astronomer and a Fellow and former President of the American Scientific Affiliation, a network of Christians in science. She holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from MIT and a PhD in astronomy from Harvard. Dr Wiseman discovered periodic comet 114P/Wiseman-Skiff while working as a research assistant in 1987. After research fellowships at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and the Johns Hopkins University, she joined NASA in 2003. Dr Wiseman studies the process of star and planet formation in our galaxy using radio, optical, and infrared telescopes. She is currently a senior astrophysicist at the Goddard Space Flight Center, where she previously headed the Laboratory for Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics.

Dr Wiseman is also interested in national science policy and public science engagement, and she directs the program of Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion for the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She has authored several essays addressing the relationship of astronomy and faith, and frequently gives talks to churches, schools, and campus groups on the excitement of scientific discovery. She grew up on an Arkansas farm enjoying late night stargazing, and walks with her parents and pets.