CfA Astronomer Christine Jones Elected President of AAS

CfA astronomer Christine Jones has been elected the next President of the American Astronomical Society.

Dr. Jones is a senior astrophysicist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and a lecturer on astronomy at Harvard University. She also was director of the Consortium for Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe, one of the four grand challenges of the Smithsonian Institution's strategic plan.

She has been the recipient of several honors and awards that include the Nininger Meteorite Award (1970), NASA Group Achievement Award for HEAO-2 X-ray Calibration Team (1978), Harvard Bart J. Bok Prize (1979), NASA Group Achievement Award (1980), AAS-HEAD Bruno Rossi Prize (1985), NASA Group Achievement Award (1991), Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1995), NASA Group Achievement Award (2000), NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal (2000), Marcel Grossmann Individual Award (2009), Honorary Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (2011), and Secretary's Distinguished Research Lecture Award of the Smithsonian Institution (2013).

She was Vice-President of the American Astronomical Society (2008-2011) and President of Division XI, International Astronomical Union (2009-2012).

Dr. Jones received her bachelor's degree from Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges in 1971 and her master's and doctorate degrees from Harvard University in 1972 and 1974 respectively.

Dr. Jones is the latest in a series of distinguished astronomers from Harvard College Observatory and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory to be AAS President. That list includes Harlow Shapley, Donald Menzel, Leo Goldberg, Andrea Dupree, John Huchra, and Robert Kirshner.

Jones will begin serving as President-Elect this summer. After one year as President-Elect, she will begin two years as President, from June 2016 through June 2018, followed by one year as Past-President.

The American Astronomical Society, established in 1899, is the major organization of professional astronomers in North America.