Curriculum Vitae

    Paul G. Kalas

  • Present Address

    • Astronomy Department
    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, stellar and planetary dynamics, high contrast imaging with adaptive optics and the Hubble Space Telescope, mid-infrared and sub-millimeter imaging, the search for exoplanetary rings and moons, and astronomy research and teaching ethics.

  • 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 wit:h 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-present)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #13726 (2014)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #13725 (2014)
        co-I, Hubble Space Telescope Program #13434 (2013)
        co-I, Hubble Space Telescope Program #13362 (2013)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #13037 (2012)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #12576 (2011)
        co-I, Hubble Space Telescope Program #12281 (2010)
        co-I, Hubble Space Telescope Program #12225 (2010)
        co-I, Hubble Space Telescope Program #11674 (2010)
        PI, NASA Origins Program (2010)
        co-PI, National Science Foundation, Astronomical Sciences (2009)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #11979 (2008)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #11818 (2008)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #11150 (2007)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #10896 (2006)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #10895 (2006)
        co-I, Hubble Space Telescope Program #10847 (2006)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #10599 (2005)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #10598 (2005)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #10390 (2005)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #10228 (2004)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #9862 (2003)
        PI, Hubble Space Telescope Program #9861 (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 Conference Organizer:
        Founder of the Spirit of Lyot conferences for high contrast imaging
                Soon to be announced (2019)
                Montreal, Canada (2015)
                Paris, France (2010)
                Berkeley, CA, USA (2007)
        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

  • Telescope and Instrumentation Experience
    • Hubble Space Telescope, WFC3, ACS, NICMOS, WFPC2, STIS
    Keck Observatory 10-m, Mauna Kea, NIRC2 with adaptive optics
    ALMA, Atacama Desert, Millimeter and sub-mm interferometric mapping
    Gemini Observatory 8-m: mid-IR array Michelle; Gemini Planet Imager
    ESO Very Large Telescope 8-m, Cerro Paranal, adaptive optics NAOS/CONICA
    University of California Lick 3-m, Mt. Hamilton, NIR array with adaptive optics
    University of Hawaii 2.2 m, Mauna Kea, CCD and coronagraph
    Infrared Telescope Facility, Mauna Kea, NIR array, 1-5 micron, IR coronagraph CoCo
    United Kingdom Infrared Telescope, Mauna Kea, NIR array IRCam, 10-20 micron camera, MAX
    German-Spanish Observatory, Calar Alto 2.2 m and 3.5 m telescopes, NIR and CCD arrays,
        coronagraphs, and laser guide star adaptive optics

  • Professional Memberships
    •     American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
        American Astronomical Society (AAS)
        Sigma Xi Scientific Honor Society
        Hellenic Astronomical Society

  • Teaching
    • Optical and Infrared Undergraduate Lab (UC Berkeley)
    Science ethics for professional astronomers (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 committee member), Mickael Bonnefoy (external committee member).