Christopher F. Chyba is an American
astrobiologist, and Professor of Astrophysical Sciences and International Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School,
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
.
He graduated from
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College ( , ) is a private liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeducational colleges in the United States. It was established as ...
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 ...
. 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 tea ...
in 199
He was a
White House Fellow 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 n ...
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 d ...
(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 pl ...
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 indi ...
* 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