Image credit: Jody Barshinger

I am a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State, a member of the Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds, and director of the Penn State Extraterrestrial Intelligence Center.

I work on a variety of problems related to stars, their planets, and life in the universe. My work in SETI includes searches for signs of extraterrestrial industry via waste heat (e.g. Dyson Spheres), and the development of curricula in the field. I also study stars, their atmospheres, their activity, and their planets. I am an Instrument Team Project Scientist for NEID, a PI of NExSS, a co-PI of MINERVA, and a member of the Habitable Zone Planet Finder team.

I teach at the University Park campus, and have an active research group of students and postdocs.

You can learn more about my research on my blog and on my research page and follow me on Twitter @Astro_Wright and Blue Sky at astrowright.bsky.social.