Joseph Weber Award for Astronomical Instrumentation

The Joseph Weber Award for Astronomical Instrumentation is awarded to an individual for the design, invention, or significant improvement of instrumentation (not software) leading to advances in astronomy.

History: 

Established in 2001. The first award was bestowed in 2002.

Eligibility:

No restrictions are placed on a candidate's citizenship or country of residency.

Criteria:

  • Design, invention, or significant improvement of instrumentation (not software) leading to advances in astronomy. 
  • A considerable period of time may have elapsed between the development of the instrumentation and the granting of the award.
  • Impact — how has the instrumentation contributed to advances in astronomy (widely used, or key to the success of major telescope or research program)?
  • Innovation or creativity — the instrumentation differs in key ways from previously employed instrumentation, utilizes advanced technology or physics not previously applied in the field, and allows investigations of physical properties that could not be studied before.

Self-nominations are allowed. For questions, please contact the AAS Secretary.

Nomination Deadline: 30 June

Nomination Process

View the Nomination Instructions
Submit Nomination

Support

Donate to the Joseph Weber Award for Astronomical Instrumentation Fund
Consider Volunteering to Serve on the Award Committee

Award Winners

2026 - Constance Rockosi

For her significant contributions to spectrographs and instruments at several ground-based observatories and for her critical leadership roles on these impactful instrumentation projects over her career.

2025 - James C. Green

For numerous contributions to instrumentation in ultraviolet space astronomy, including the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope.

2024 - Paul Goldsmith

For his pioneering advancements in millimeter-wave astronomy and astronomical receivers, especially his notable development of quasioptics.

2023 - Shouleh Nikzad

For her pioneering contributions pushing the boundaries of ultraviolet/visible photon-counting charge-coupled devices, her sustained infusion of related technologies across multiple fields.

2022 - Peter Wizinowich

For pioneering work on the Keck adaptive optics systems.

2022 - Michael Lesser

For innovative and foundational work on methods of thinning, coating, and reading out large-format back-side illuminated CCD detectors.

2020 – Oswald “Ossy” Siegmund

For his significant and innovative contributions to the technology of photon counting detectors and the impact these instruments have had on advancing our understanding of the universe.

2019 – John D. Monnier

For his pioneering work in high-angular-resolution studies with long-baseline optical interferometry, which have moved the field from measurements in visibility space to true imaging and opened up a new window on stellar astrophysics.

2018 – Rainer Weiss

For his invention of the interferometric gravitational-wave detector, which led to the first detection of long-predicted gravitational waves from astronomical sources by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO).

2017 – Ian S. McLean

For 30+ years at the forefront of the development of advanced infrared sensor arrays and for his leadership in the design, construction, and deployment of innovative and high-scientific-impact infrared instruments.

2016 – James J. (Jamie) Bock

For his development of low noise “spider web” bolometers that enable a broad range of submillimeter and millimeter observations with ground-, balloon-, and space-based instruments, leading to critical measurements of the cosmic microwave background.

2015 – Claire E. Max

For co-inventing sodium-laser-guide-star adaptive optics and for shepherding adaptive optics, which takes the "twinkle" out of starlight, from its roots in classified space surveillance to its prominence today as essential technology on large telescopes.

2014 – Sander Weinreb

In recognition of his seminal innovations that have helped define modern-day radio astronomy, including digital auto-correlation spectrometers and cryogenic low-noise amplifiers and mixers.