Fiona Harrison

Fiona Harrison is an American astrophysicist renowned for her pioneering work in high-energy X-ray astronomy. She is the Benjamin M. Rosen Professor of Physics at the California Institute of Technology and served as the principal investigator for NASA's groundbreaking NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array) mission. Her research has fundamentally advanced the understanding of black holes, supernova remnants, and other extreme cosmic phenomena.

Early life and education

Born in Los Angeles, Harrison developed an early interest in science and space. She pursued her undergraduate studies in physics at the University of California, Berkeley, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree. She then continued her graduate work at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she completed her Ph.D. in physics under the supervision of astronomer John R. Dickel. Her doctoral research focused on supernova remnants and their emissions, laying the foundation for her career in high-energy astrophysics.

Career and research

Following her Ph.D., Harrison joined the faculty at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where she has held various positions, ultimately becoming the Benjamin M. Rosen Professor of Physics. Her early research involved significant work with data from orbiting observatories like the Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics (ASCA) and the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Harrison's most defining contribution is her leadership in conceiving and developing the NuSTAR mission, a NASA Small Explorer satellite launched in 2012. As the principal investigator, she oversaw the entire project, which deployed the first orbiting telescopes to focus high-energy X-rays, providing unprecedented views of the violent universe. This work has led to major discoveries, including detailed maps of radioactive material in supernova remnants like Cassiopeia A, the measurement of spin rates for supermassive black holes, and the identification of previously hidden black holes shrouded in dust and gas. Her research group at Caltech continues to analyze NuSTAR data and develop new instrumentation for future missions.

Awards and honors

Harrison's exceptional contributions to astrophysics have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards. In 2014, she received the NASA Outstanding Public Leadership Medal for her management of the NuSTAR mission. The following year, she was awarded the Bruno Rossi Prize by the American Astronomical Society for her leadership in high-energy astrophysics and the transformative success of NuSTAR. In 2020, she was honored with the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest award NASA confers on a non-government individual. She is an elected fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has been a member of several advisory committees for NASA and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Personal life

Harrison maintains a relatively private personal life while being an active mentor and advocate for women in the physical sciences. She has spoken publicly about the challenges and rewards of leading a major space mission and has been involved in outreach programs to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Selected publications

Harrison has authored or co-authored hundreds of scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals. A selection of her influential publications includes: * "The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) Mission," published in The Astrophysical Journal. * "Broadband X-ray Spectral Analysis of the Double Neutron Star Binary PSR J0737−3039." * "A High-Energy X-ray View of the Cassiopeia A Supernova Remnant." * "Measuring the Spins of Supermassive Black Holes with NuSTAR." * "The First Survey of Galactic Center Sources with the NuSTAR Telescope."

Category:American astrophysicists Category:California Institute of Technology faculty Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni Category:University of California, Santa Barbara alumni Category:NASA people Category:1964 births Category:Living people