Dr. Jennifer Wiseman

Astronomer & Astrophysicist

Dr. Jennifer Wiseman is an astronomer, author, and speaker. She studies the process of star and planet formation in our galaxy using radio, optical, and infrared telescopes and has worked with several major national observatories. She is also interested in national science policy and public science engagement and directs the program of Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion for the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  She received her B.S. in physics from MIT, discovering comet Wiseman-Skiff in 1987, and continued her studies at Harvard, earning a Ph.D. in astronomy.  She continued her research as a Jansky Fellow at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and as a Hubble Fellow at Johns Hopkins University.  She then served as a Congressional Science Fellow of the American Physical Society, working with the staff of the Science Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, and is now a senior astrophysicist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Dr. Wiseman is a Fellow of the American Scientific Affiliation, a network of Christians in Science.   She enjoys giving talks to schools, churches, civic organizations, and campus groups on the excitement of astronomy and scientific discovery, and has appeared in many science and news venues including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NOVA, and National Public Radio.  She grew up on an Arkansas farm enjoying late-night stargazing walks with her parents and pets.