Curriculum Vitae

    Paul G. Kalas

  • Present Address

    • Astronomy Department
    601 Campbell Hall
    University of California at Berkeley
    Berkeley, CA 94720-3411    U.S.A.
    Tel: (510) 642-8285

  • Scientific Interests
    • Direct imaging of planetary systems, circumstellar matter around main sequence and pre-main sequence stars, trans-Neptunian objects, stellar and planetary dynamics, optical and near-infrared coronagraphy, high contrast imaging with adaptive optics and the Hubble Space Telescope, mid-infrared and sub-millimeter imaging, and astronomy ethics.

  • Education
    • Ph. D. (Astronomy) University of Hawai'i at Manoa, December, 1996
    Title: A coronagraphic survey for circumstellar disks around main sequence and pre-main sequence stars;    Supervisor: Prof. David Jewitt
    M.S. (Astronomy) University of Hawai'i at Manoa, June, 1992
    B.S. (Astronomy and Physics) University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1989

  • Professional Positions

    • Associate Adjunct Professor, University of California, Berkeley 07/09 - present
    Science Steering Committee, Gemini Planet Imager 10/10 - present
    Principal Investigator, SETI Institute, Mountain View, 05/09 - present
    Assistant Adjunct Professor, University of California, Berkeley 07/06 - 06/09
    Assistant Research Astronomer, University of California , Berkeley 05/01 - 06/06
    Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California and the NSF Center for Adaptive Optics,
        Berkeley 05/00 - 04/01
    Postdoctoral Fellow, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore 11/98 - 05/00
    Postdoctoral Scientist, Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg (MPIA) 9/96 - 10/98
    Co-Project Scientist, Adaptive Optics with a Laser for Astronomy, MPIA, 9/97-10/98

  • Achievements
    • Key Discoveries:
        Optical discovery images of an exosolar planet candidate with orbital motion around a nearby star (Fomalhaut; May, 2008). First optical images of debris belts and disks around HD 15745 and HD 15115 (2007), HD 53143 and HD 139664 (2006), Fomalhaut (2005), and AU Microscopii (2004).

    Awards:
        AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize (2009)
        AIAA Pickering Lecture (2010)

    Research Grants:
        PI, NASA Origins Program (2010)
        co-PI, National Science Foundation, Astronomical Sciences (2009)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #11818 (2008)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #10896 (2006)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #10895 (2006)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #10599 (2005)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #10598 (2005)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #10390 (2005)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #10228 (2004)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #9862 (2003)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #9861 (2003)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #9475 (2002)
        PI, NASA Origins Program (2002)
        Co-I, University of Crete Adaptive Optics System (2001)
        PI, NASA/NSF SIM Preparatory Science Program and the NStars Program (June 2000);
        Co-I, NSF Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation: Astronomical Applications with the Advanced Electro-Optical System (AEOS) of the United States Air Force (September 2000)

    Service:
    Appointed Panel Member:
        Nature Magazine Reader Panel (2008-present)
        Subaru Telescope TAC (2006-2007)
        NASA Origins Program (2002-2004)
        NASA Exozody Study Panel (1998)
    Volunteer: ASP Project Astro (2001-2002)
    Referee: Nature, Science, Astrophysical Journal, Astronomical Journal, Astronomy and  Astrophysics, Astronomy Education Review

  • Telescope and Instrumentation Experience
    • Keck Observatory 10-m, Mauna Kea, NIR array with adaptive optics
    Gemini Observatory 8-m, Mauna Kea, mid-IR array Michelle
    ESO Very Large Telescope 8-m, Cerro Paranal, adaptive optics NAOS/CONICA
    University of California Lick 3-m, Mt. Hamilton, NIR array with adaptive optics
    University of Hawaii 2.2 m, Mauna Kea, CCD and coronagraph
    Infrared Telescope Facility, Mauna Kea, NIR array, 1-5 micron, IR coronagraph CoCo
    United Kingdom Infrared Telescope, Mauna Kea, NIR array IRCam, 10-20 micron camera, MAX
    Hubble Space Telescope, ACS, NICMOS, WFPC2, STIS
    German-Spanish Observatory, Calar Alto 2.2 m and 3.5 m telescopes, NIR and CCD arrays,
        coronagraphs, and laser guide star adaptive optics

  • Memberships
    • American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), American Astronomical Society (AAS), Hellenic Astronomical Society

  • Teaching
    • Optical and Infrared Undergraduate Lab (UC Berkeley)
    Science ethics for professional astronomers (UC Berkeley)
    ESA Summer School, Alpbach, Austria (2009)
    Winter School, Les Houches, France (2008)

  • Students
    • Michael Fitzgerald, Holly Maness, Erik Petigura, Remy Reche (external committee member)