Beth Willman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Beth Willman
Willman in 2021
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Columbia University (B.A.) University of Washington (Ph.D.)
Scientific career
Fields	Astronomy
Institutions	Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Haverford College NOIRLab LSST Corporation
Thesis	A Survey for Resolved Milky Way Dwarf Galaxy Satellites (2003)
Doctoral advisor	Julianne Dalcanton

Beth Willman is an American astronomer. She is the Chief Executive Officer of the LSST Discovery Alliance. This group helps support the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. This observatory is a very powerful telescope. Before this, she was a leader at NOIRLab. She also taught astronomy at Haverford College.

Becoming an Astronomer

Beth Willman studied astrophysics at Columbia University. She earned her first degree there. In 2003, she received her Ph.D. in astronomy. This higher degree came from the University of Washington. Her main teacher for her Ph.D. was Julianne Dalcanton. Beth's research for her Ph.D. was about Milky Way dwarf satellite galaxies. These are small galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way.

After her studies, Beth Willman worked at different places. She was a fellow at New York University's Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics. She also worked as a Clay Fellow at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian.

Exploring the Universe

Beth Willman's main research area is cosmology. This is the study of the entire Universe. She specializes in finding the dimmest galaxies we know about. These galaxies are very hard to see.

One of her most exciting discoveries was a galaxy named Willman 1. She found this galaxy when she was doing research after her Ph.D. The galaxy was named after her because of her discovery.