Candidate Statement: Jennifer Wiseman

Jennifer Wiseman

Nominated Office: Nominating Committee

Affiliation: NASA

Position/Title: Senior Astrophysicist

PhD institution: Harvard University (1995)

Areas of scientific interest:

  • Star formation
  • Molecular clouds
  • Planet formation
  • Exoplanets
  • Science policy and public outreach

AAS positions & dates:

  • Councilor, AAS Council (2009 – 2012)

Other relevant positions and experience:

  • Senior Project Scientist, Hubble Space Telescope, NASA (2010 – present)
  • Director, Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER), American Association for the Advancement of Science (2010 - present)
  • Congressional Science Fellow, American Physical Society (2001 – 2002) *Served with the Science Committee, US House of Representatives
  • Hubble Fellow, Johns Hopkins University (1998 – 2001)
  • Janksy Fellow, National Radio Astronomy Observatory (1995 – 1998)

Candidate Statement:

The AAS Nominating Committee is a profound portal for strengthening our Society and our field of astronomy and astrophysics, by identifying and encouraging good candidates for leadership. I would like to serve our astronomical community as an active member of this committee. Our field is entering a new exciting era, with the upcoming fresh recommendations of the decadal survey. Thus, the candidates nominated by this committee for AAS leadership will be engaging fantastic new opportunities for our society involving multi-messenger astronomy and multiple complementary major observatories in space and on the ground. They will also face major challenges for our field, including the looming interference from thousands of commercial satellites, and societal challenges for robust support of science. I’m proud of our Society, as the AAS is an active pioneer and leader amongst scientific organizations in recognizing the importance of diversity and inclusion in every stage and aspect of our field and organization, and in vigorously committing to address systemic shortfalls of inclusion and equity in our field that are acutely coming to light. The nominating committee can inspire meaningful change by seeking out candidates for leadership who are themselves eager to strengthen our astronomical community through opening doors of multi-faceted inclusion, embracing often overlooked facets of diversity such as geography, career stage, and types of institutions represented in the activities of the AAS. I have experience working with astronomers and other scientists in many types of institutions, including universities, federal research centers, scientific societies, and the US Congress. As a member of the Nominating Committee, I will be eager to seek out recommendations for great Society leaders representing diverse aspects of backgrounds, experience, perspectives, and expertise in our community.