Paul G. Kalas

• • Present Address

Astronomy Department
501 Campbell Hall
University of California at Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-3411    U.S.A.
Tel: (510) 642-8285

• • Scientific Interests

Direct imaging of exoplanets and dusty debris disks, the search for exoplanetary rings and moons, stellar and planetary dynamics, ethics in professional astronomy, and the nature of space and time.

• • Education

Ph. D. (Astronomy) University of Hawai’i at Manoa, December, 1996
Title: A coronagraphic survey for circumstellar disks around main sequence and pre-main sequence stars;    Supervisor: Prof. David Jewitt
M.S. (Astronomy) University of Hawai’i at Manoa, June, 1992
B.S. (Astronomy and Physics) University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1989

• • Professional Positions

Adjunct Professor, University of California, Berkeley 07/14 – present
Associate Adjunct Professor, University of California, Berkeley 07/09 – 06/14
Assistant Adjunct Professor, University of California, Berkeley 07/06 – 06/09
Research Astronomer, University of California , Berkeley 05/01 – present
Science Steering Committee, Gemini Planet Imager 10/10 – present
Research Scientist, SETI Institute, Mountain View, 05/09 – present
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California and the NSF Center for Adaptive Optics,
Berkeley 05/00 – 04/01
Postdoctoral Fellow, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore 11/98 – 05/00
Postdoctoral Scientist, Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg (MPIA) 9/96 – 10/98
Co-Project Scientist, Adaptive Optics with a Laser for Astronomy, MPIA, 9/97-10/98

• • Achievements

Key Discoveries: 

First optical discovery of an exosolar planet candidate with orbital motion around a nearby star (Fomalhaut; May, 2008). First optical images of debris belts and disks around HD 15745 and HD 15115 (2007), HD 53143 and HD 139664 (2006), Fomalhaut (2005), and AU Microscopii (2004).

Honors:

Elected Member of Sigma Xi (2018)
Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2014)
NOVA Lecturer for the Netherlands Research School in Astronomy (2011)
AIAA Pickering Lecture (2010)
AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize (2009)

Research Programs (partial list):

co-I, co-lead Gemini Planet Imager Exoplanet Survey (2010-present)
co-PI, NASA Nexus for Exoplanet System Science (2015-present)
co-PI, International Beta Pic Transit Monitoring Campaign (2016-2018)
PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #13725 (2014)
PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #13037 (2012)
PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #12576 (2011)
PI, NASA Origins Program (2010)
co-PI, National Science Foundation, Astronomical Sciences (2009)
PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #11818 (2008)
PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #11150 (2007)
PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #10895 (2006)
PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #10599 (2005)
PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #10228 (2004)
PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #9862 (2003)
PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #9475 (2002)
PI, NASA Origins Program (2002)
PI, NASA/NSF SIM Preparatory Science Program and the NStars Program (June 2000);
Co-I, NSF Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation: Astronomical Applications with the Advanced Electro-Optical System (AEOS) of the United States Air Force(September 2000)

• • Service

Appointments:

Atacama Large Millimeter Array Time Allocation Committee (various years)
Hubble Space Telescope Time Allocation Committee (various years)
Nature Magazine Reader Panel (2008-2010)
NASA Exoplanet Science & Technology (various years)
Agence Nationale de la Recherche, France (various years)
Subaru Telescope Time Allocation Committee (2006-2007)
Spitzer Space Telescope Time Allocation Committee (2004)
NASA Origins Program (2002-2004)
NASA Exozody Study Panel (1998)

International Scientific Conference Organizer:

Founder of the Spirit of Lyot conferences for high contrast imaging:
Leiden, The Netherlands (2022)
Tokyo, Japan (2019)
Montreal, Canada (2015)
Paris, France (2010)
Berkeley, CA, USA (2007)

Member of the Scientific Organizing Committee for:
15th Conference HelAS (2021)
Habitable Worlds 2021 (2021)
Breakthrough Discuss, Berkeley, CA (2019)
Bay Area Exoplanets Meeting, NASA Ames (2017 – present)
International Beta Pic Transit Monitoring Campaign, Nice, France (2018)
30 Years Beta Pic, Paris, France (2014)
IAUS 299: Exploring the formation and evolution of planetary systems, Victoria, Canada (2013)

Volunteer: ASP Project Astro (2001-2002)

Referee / Peer Review: Nature, Science, Astrophysical Journal, Astronomical Journal, Astronomy and  Astrophysics, Astronomy Education Review, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

• • Telescope and Instrumentation Experience

Hubble Space Telescope, Keck Observatory 10-m, ALMA, Gemini Observatory 8-m, ESO/VLT 8-m, University of California Lick 3-m, University of Hawaii 2.2 m, Infrared Telescope Facility 3-m, United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT), German-Spanish Observatory 2.2 m and 3.5 m telescopes.

• • Professional Memberships

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Sigma Xi Scientific Honor Society

American Astronomical Society

European Astronomical Society

Hellenic Astronomical Society

• • Teaching

Optical and Infrared Undergraduate Lab (UC Berkeley)
Science ethics for professional astronomers (UC Berkeley)
Professional Development for Doctoral Students (UC Berkeley)
ESA Summer School, Alpbach, Austria (2009)
Winter School, Les Houches, France (2008)

• • Current or Former Doctoral Students

Jason Wang, Michael Fitzgerald, Holly Maness, Remy Reche (external examiner), Mickael Bonnefoy (external examiner), Trisha Bhowmik (external examiner).