Matthew S Povich

"The pace of discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics over the last century has been head-spinning. My students and I are fortunate to have the opportunity to work at the frontiers of knowledge. For non-specialists, the imagery and philosophical implications of modern astronomy are extraordinarily compelling, while the language used by scientists to describe their discoveries in professional literature can be impenetrable. I strive to bridge the gap between professional scientists and everyone else through teaching and public outreach."

 

—Matthew S. Povich

An internationally-recognized researcher, Dr. Povich has authored or co-authored more than 65 articles leading peer-reviewed scientific journals, with over 5,000 citations in the literature (source: SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System). He is best known for his work identifying and cataloging hundreds of thousands of young stellar objects using infrared and X-ray data, developing empirical methods for tracing the interfaces between hot plasmas and cold, dusty star-forming clouds, and his leadership of the Milky Way Project online citizen science platform.

Dr. Povich has produced >20 successful research grants and observing proposals as PI or Co-I, with awards a totaling  >$1.2 million in funding and observing time on premier facilities including the Spitzer Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory, and James Webb Space Telescope. He was the first CPP faculty member to win a prestigious NSF CAREER award and received the Provost's Award for Excellence in Scholarly and Creative Activities in 2020.