Renowned astrophysicist Pieter van Dokkum to join Northwestern

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Renowned astrophysicist Pieter van Dokkum to join Northwestern

Van Dokkum develops new astronomical tools to study galaxy formation and evolution

• Link to: Northwestern Now Story

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Astrophysicist Pieter van Dokkum, a world-renowned expert in galaxy formation and evolution and a visionary in astronomical instrumentation and telescopes, will join Northwestern University as the Kimberly Querrey Professor of Astrophysics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, the University announced today.

Van Dokkum, who is the Sol Goldman Family Professor of Astronomy and a professor of physics at Yale University, is known for pushing the boundaries of how scientists understand galaxies and the universe. His research continually challenges conventional views of how galaxies form and evolve across cosmic time.

Joining Northwestern on Jan. 1, 2027, van Dokkum will contribute to the University's efforts to expand cutting-edge research in astrophysics. He also will become a member of Northwestern's Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA).

"I am thrilled to have Professor van Dokkum, one of the world's leading astrophysicists, join Northwestern," said President Henry S. Bienen. "He will immediately elevate our already groundbreaking research in Weinberg College and CIERA and will create new and exciting opportunities for our students and scholars who are working to better understand our universe. This is a wonderful day for our university."

The Kimberly Querrey Professorship of Astrophysics was established through a gift from University Trustee Kimberly K. Querrey ('22, '23 P), building on her distinguished philanthropic legacy in support of Northwestern's academic priorities.

"Kimberly Querrey is a visionary advocate for interdisciplinary research, and her generosity has fueled innovation, advanced scholarship and enriched education across a broad spectrum of initiatives at Northwestern," Bienen said. "We are profoundly grateful for her extraordinary commitment to expanding the frontiers of knowledge and fostering progress across science and technology."

Querrey's gifts in support of research and innovation at Northwestern include: Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Biomedical Research Center, Kimberly K. Querrey and Louis A. Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Querrey InQbation Lab, Querrey Simpson Institute for Regenerative Engineering at Northwestern University, Simpson Querrey Institute for Epigenetics, Simpson Querrey Lung Institute for Translational Science, Simpson Querrey Center for Neurovascular Sciences, Simpson Querrey Center for Neurogenetics, Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease as well as several endowed professorships and research centers across STEM and business disciplines. Querrey's leadership in research is exercised through her membership and past chairship of the Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Committee of the Board of Trustees, where she also serves as current chair of the Governance and Nominations Committee and member of the Executive Committee.

"Professor van Dokkum's appointment reflects Northwestern's commitment to advancing discovery through bold ideas and world-class talent," Querrey said. "His groundbreaking work in astrophysics exemplifies how innovation thrives when disciplines intersect. Supporting visionary researchers like Professor van Dokkum strengthens Northwestern's leadership in science and technology and fuels the kind of collaborative exploration that defines the University's future."

Among his key achievements, van Dokkum co-developed the Dragonfly Telephoto Array, an innovative telescope located in the mountains of New Mexico. While ordinary telescopes excel at spotting bright, compact objects like stars, they struggle to detect faint, diffuse light - the kind emitted from galaxies' outer halos and regions with few stars.

Assuming these faint features could hold crucial clues about how galaxies form and merge, van Dokkum and Canadian astronomer Roberto Abraham designed the Dragonfly Telephoto Array to detect these ghostly objects. Inspired by the compound eyes of a dragonfly, the array comprises 48 commercially available lenses. The Dragonfly Telephoto Array achieved first light in 2013.

By enabling astronomers to observe some of the faintest objects in the universe, the Dragonfly Telephoto Array has opened a new window to finding previously unknown phenomena. Using the array, van Dokkum has discovered large hidden galaxies with surprisingly few stars and identified galaxies lacking dark matter. Before this discovery, scientists assumed every galaxy contained dark matter - an invisible, mysterious form of matter.

Now, van Dokkum and his team are upgrading the array to include 1,140 telephoto lenses equipped with new interference filters. Located in the Atacama Desert in Chile, the new iteration is called the Modular Optical Telephoto Hyperspectral Robotic Array (MOTHRA). With these tools, van Dokkum aims to detect the Cosmic Web, a network of dark matter filaments that is thought to connect all galaxies in the cosmos.

"I am greatly looking forward to joining the Northwestern community and CIERA," van Dokkum said. "CIERA's collaborative, cross-disciplinary culture is a great environment for discovery, and I'm excited to bring the Dragonfly Telephoto Array and the new MOTHRA telescope into that ecosystem. Combined with CIERA's access to the W.M. Keck Observatory and partnership with the upcoming Giant Magellan Telescope, Northwestern students and postdocs will be at the frontiers of mapping the faint universe."

"Pieter van Dokkum's arrival is the culmination of extensive collaborations with many partners at Northwestern," said Adrian Randolph, dean of the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. "His pioneering scholarship in astrophysics exemplifies the bold, interdisciplinary spirit that drives discovery across our College and University. His creativity and collaborative energy will elevate our scientific enterprise and open new frontiers of exploration."

Throughout his career, van Dokkum has led projects using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Using the Hubble, van Dokkum and his collaborators found a "runaway" supermassive black hole, catapulted from the center of its galaxy. With the JWST, van Dokkum and his team discovered the universe may have started forming star-filled galaxies earlier than previously thought. He also plans to use the forthcoming Giant Magellan Telescope, of which Northwestern is a founding partner, to explore black holes and other cosmic structures beyond JWST's reach.

"We are ecstatic to welcome Pieter to our community," said Vicky Kalogera, the Daniel I. Linzer Distinguished University Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Weinberg director of CIERA. "His arrival marks an exciting moment for Northwestern, and a defining one for our department and for CIERA. A scientific leader whose creativity and bold ideas have reshaped how we study galaxies and the cosmos, he brings extraordinary vision, innovative instrumentation and a record of transformative discoveries. As CIERA continues to grow and evolve, his presence will be instrumental - both in advancing our science and in guiding the center's future."

"We are delighted to welcome Professor van Dokkum, whose arrival reinforces Northwestern's reputation as a home for bold science and ambitious research," Provost Kathleen Hagerty said. "His arrival strengthens the University's foundation in the pursuit of knowledge that reveals the secrets of our universe in exciting and unexpected ways."

In addition to his research, van Dokkum is a gifted educator and mentor. At Yale, he developed and taught courses about observational astronomy and the evolving universe. In 2020, he received the Natural Sciences Graduate Mentor Award from Yale's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The annual award recognizes one exceptional mentor dedicated to the professional, scholarly and personal development of their students.

Van Dokkum earned his Ph.D. from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. He has received multiple awards for his contributions to astronomy, including the Jackson-Gwilt Medal from the Royal Astronomical Society, Maria and Eric Muhlmann Award from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and the Pastoor Schmeits Prize from the Royal Netherlands Astronomical Society. He has co-authored nearly 790 publications and received a 2024 Physics Leader Award, based on citation statistics.