Marcia Jean Rieke ( ) is an American astronomer. She is a Regents' Professor of Astronomy and associate department head at the University of Arizona. Rieke is the Principal Investigator on the near-infrared camera ( NIRCam) for the

James Webb Space Telescope The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope which conducts infrared astronomy. As the largest optical telescope in space, its high resolution and sensitivity allow it to view objects too old, distant, or faint for the Hubble Spa ...

(JWST). She has also served as the deputy-Principal Investigator on the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and as the co-investigator for the multiband imaging photometer on the

Spitzer Space Telescope The Spitzer Space Telescope, formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), was an infrared space telescope launched in 2003. Operations ended on 30 January 2020. Spitzer was the third space telescope dedicated to infrared astronomy, f ...

, where she also acted as an outreach coordinator and a member of the Science Working Group. Rieke was also involved with several infrared ground-based observatories, including the MMT Observatory in Arizona. She was vice chair for Program Prioritization of the Astro2010 Decadal Survey Committee, "New Worlds, New Horizons". Marcia Rieke is considered by many to be one of the "founding mothers" of infrared astronomy, along with

Judith Pipher Judith Lynn Pipher (, June 18, 1940 – February 21, 2022) was a Canadian-born American astrophysicist and observational astronomer. She was Professor Emerita of Astronomy at the University of Rochester and directed the C. E. K. Mees Observato ...

Early life and education

Marcia Rieke was born Marcia Keyes on June 13, 1951, in Hillsdale, Michigan. Rieke and her family soon after moved to Midland, Michigan where she attended elementary, middle and high school. The presence of the

Dow Chemical Company The Dow Chemical Company, officially Dow Inc., is an American multinational chemical corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. The company is among the three largest chemical producers in the world. Dow manufactures plastic ...

headquarters in Midland made science a topic of importance for kids throughout the school system. She graduated from Midland High School (Midland, Michigan) in 1969. Rieke studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she earned her bachelor's degree in 1972 and her Ph.D. in 1976, both in physics.

Career and research

After receiving her degrees from MIT, Rieke became a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Arizona in 1976, and has remained there ever since, now as Regents' Professor of Astronomy and formerly as Associate Department Head for Steward Observatory. Her scientific research interests include infrared observations of

galactic nuclei An active galactic nucleus (AGN) is a compact region at the center of a galaxy that has a much-higher-than-normal luminosity over at least some portion of the electromagnetic spectrum with characteristics indicating that the luminosity is not pr ...

and galaxies in the early universe (high-

redshift In physics, a redshift is an increase in the wavelength, and corresponding decrease in the frequency and photon energy, of electromagnetic radiation (such as light). The opposite change, a decrease in wavelength and simultaneous increase in f ...

galaxies). In 2007, Rieke was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2012, Rieke was elected to the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

. She was elected a Legacy Fellow of the

American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...

in 2020. In 2023, she received a NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal for her contribution to the field of astronomy and her key roles in the development of cutting-edge instruments for the

Honors and awards

NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal NASA's Exceptional Public Service Medal is a United States government awarded to any non-Government individual or to an individual who was not a Government employee during the period in which the service was performed for sustained performance th ...

(2014) * Robert H. Goddard Award for Achievement in Science (2014) * Lyman Spitzer Lecturer, Princeton University (2014) * University of Arizona Galileo Circle Fellow (2006) * Mortar Board Senior Honor Society (1995) * National Science Foundation Faculty Award for Women (1992-1996) *

George Van Biesbroeck Prize The George Van Biesbroeck Prize is an award for long-term achievements in the field of astronomy. According to the American Astronomical Society awards website; "The Van Biesbroeck prize is normally awarded every two years and honors a living indi ...

(1980) * NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal (2023) * Bruce Medal (2023)

Personal life

Marcia Rieke is married to the infrared astronomer

George H. Rieke George Henry Rieke (born January 5, 1943), a noted American infrared astronomer, is former Deputy Director of the Steward Observatory and Regents Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He led the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rieke, Marcia J. 1951 births Living people Scientists from Tucson, Arizona People from Hillsdale, Michigan University of Arizona faculty American women astronomers Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Fellows of the American Astronomical Society