Gerard Theodore van Belle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1968-10-30)30 October 1968 (age 57) Tallahassee, Florida |
| Alma mater | University of Wyoming,Johns Hopkins University,Whitman College |
| Known for | The use ofinterferometry in studies of thestellar structure and detection ofextrasolar planets. |
| Awards | 2002 Edward Stone Award for Outstanding Research Publication |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Institutions | Lowell,ESO,Caltech,JPL,St. Mary's College of Maryland |
| Thesis | Angular Size Measurements of Highly Evolved Stars (1996) |
| Doctoral advisor | H. Mel Dyck |
Gerard Theodore van Belle (born October 30, 1968) is an Americanastronomer. He is anexpert in optical (visible and near-infrared) astronomical interferometry. He currently works at theLowell Observatory as the Director of Science.[1]
van Belle received a bachelor's degree in physics fromWhitman College in 1990, a master's degree in physics from TheJohns Hopkins University in 1993, and a Ph.D. in physics from theUniversity of Wyoming in 1996. While at Whitman College, he initiated as a member of theSigma Chi fraternity.
After schooling, van Belle took a position at theJet Propulsion Laboratory as an instrument architect forNASA'sKeck Interferometer, and later joined the Michelson Science Center (nowNASA Exoplanet Science Institute) atCaltech in 2003. He has participated in the commissioning of thePalomar Testbed Interferometer, and theCHARA Array. In 2007, he became a member of the astronomy faculty at theEuropean Southern Observatory (ESO), and instrument scientist for the PRIMA instrument of ESO'sVLTI facility; later in early 2011 he was also appointed instrument scientist for the MATISSE instrument of the VLTI. Since August 2011 he has been a member of the astronomer faculty atLowell Observatory. In May 2017 he was appointed the Director of theNavy Precision Optical Interferometer (NPOI), and after a one-year tenure became Chief Scientist for the facility, until 2022. In May 2024 he was appointed the Director for Science at Lowell Observatory.
van Belle has utilizednear-infraredastronomical interferometers to measure the sizes of hundreds of nearby stars.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]The first direct measurement of stellar shape was carried out by a team led by him using the Palomar Testbed Interferometer to make observations of the rapidly rotating starAltair.[9] He also contributed to practical considerations of operating astronomical interferometers, particularly regarding considerations of calibration of these complicated instruments.[10][11][12]
van Belle served as President of theInternational Astronomical Union's Commission 54 on Optical and Infrared Interferometry, for 2012–2015, after terms as Vice President (2009–2012) and Secretary (2006–2009).
Asteroid25155 van Belle is named for him.[13]In 2018 Dr. van Belle was named a recipient of the Significant Sig Award of the Sigma Chi fraternity.[14]
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