Christopher F. Chyba is an American

astrobiologist Astrobiology, and the related field of exobiology, is an interdisciplinary scientific field that studies the origins, early evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. Astrobiology is the multidisciplinary field that inves ...

, and Professor of Astrophysical Sciences and International Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School,

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

. He graduated from

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeduca ...

in 1982, and studied mathematical physics at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

as a

Marshall Scholar The Marshall Scholarship is a postgraduate scholarship for "intellectually distinguished young Americans ndtheir country's future leaders" to study at any university in the United Kingdom. It is widely considered one of the most prestigious sc ...

. He then received his Ph.D. in Astronomy, with an emphasis in Planetary Science, from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

in 199

He was a

White House Fellow The White House Fellows program is a federal fellowship program established via Executive Order by President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson in October 1964, based upon a suggestion from John W. Gardner, then the president of Carnegie Corp ...

on the

National Security Council A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a na ...

staff, and then serving in the

Office of Science and Technology Policy An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific dut ...

(OSTP) from 1993 to 1995. He was a member of the

SETI The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is a collective term for scientific searches for intelligent extraterrestrial life, for example, monitoring electromagnetic radiation for signs of transmissions from civilizations on other p ...

Institute Board of Trustees from 2005 - 2007.

Awards and honors

* 2001

MacArthur Fellows Program The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to between 20 and 30 ind ...

* The asteroid 7923 Chyba was named in his honor

Works

"Commencement Address", June 1, 2003"Contingency and the Cosmic Prospective"
''The new astronomy: opening the electromagnetic window and expanding our view of planet earth'', Editor D. Wayne Orchiston, Springer, 2005,
''Comets and the origin and evolution of life''
Editors Paul J. Thomas, Christopher F. Chyba, Springer, 2006, *''U.S. nuclear weapons policy: confronting today's threats'', Editors George Bunn, Christopher F. Chyba, William James Perry, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford, Calif., 2006,

References

External links

*
"Christopher Chyba"
''

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Chyba, Christopher 21st-century American physicists Living people Office of Science and Technology Policy officials Swarthmore College alumni Alumni of the University of Cambridge Cornell University alumni MacArthur Fellows Year of birth missing (living people) Princeton University faculty Astrobiologists Marshall Scholars Planetary scientists Recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers