Jeff Robertson

Jeff W. Robertson is currently Department Head of physical sciences at Arkansas Tech University, Professor of astrophysics, and Director of the astronomical observatory. Growing up in Topeka Kansas, he enjoyed dissections (animals, bugs, and electronics), pyrotechnics (kitchen and garage chemicals), tornados as well as reading science fiction. Too much StarTrek, StarWars, ATARI likely embedded the idea in his head of venturing into space as an astronaut. In college, the dullness and monotony of aerospace engineering courses depressed him, but he was saved when it was revealed that you could actually major in astronomy, physics, and space sciences. While obtaining a B.S. degree in astronomy and physics at the University of Kansas, he played basketball, ran around as the Jayhawk mascot, got married, and finally went to graduate school. An M.S. degree from San Diego State University, San Diego, Calif, USA, and a Ph.D. degree in astrophysics at Indiana University completed his transformation into scientist as well as dad to a daughter and twin sons. Even though he never physically made it into space, he gets to go out and explore the cosmos each and every day. He studies binary stars with their complex interactions, mass-exchanges, explosions, and evolution, follows faint asteroids, hunts for supernova, works on instruments for telescopes, including the WIYN 3.5-meter at Kitt Peak National Observatory, builds hardware, and creates software for the automation of robotic telescopes and observatories as well as for the analysis of astronomical images. He helps train amateur astronomers to participate in relevant research with their equipment as part of the Center for Backyard Astrophysics (CBA). He has collaborations with astronomers in the USA and around the world, participating in grants, observations, research, and publications. He is a Member of the American Astronomical Society, American Meteorological Society and is President of the Arkansas Academy of Science.

Biography Updated on 12 January 2011

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