Alumnus: Astronomy Ph.D. 1982
Professor of Astronomy, UC Berkeley; Elected Member, National Academy of Sciences; Alberts SETI Chair
Geoffrey Marcy is one of the pioneers and leaders in the discovery and characterization of planets around other stars. Professor Marcy’s discoveries include detection of the first multiple-planet system, the first Saturn-mass planet and the first Neptune-mass planet, and the first transiting planet. In recent years, Professor Marcy’s research has focused on the search for Earth-size planets around other stars. He was a co-investigator of Kepler, the NASA space-born telescope dedicated to identifying Earth-like planets and to determining how many of these planets fall in the habitable zone with the potential for supporting life. In March, 2012, Professor Marcy was appointed to the Alberts Chair in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Professor Marcy is an elected member of both the National Academy of Sciences (2002) and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences (2010). He is the recipient of many awards including the Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization (2009), the Shaw Prize (2005, shared with Michel Mayor), the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement (2003) and the Beatrice Tinsley prize from the American Astronomical Society (2002).
