Dennis Zaritsky Honored with Prestigious Regents Professor Title

Three University of Arizona faculty members were confirmed last week as Regents Professors by the Arizona Board of Regents, including Steward Observatory Deputy Director and professor of astronomy Dennis Zaritsky.

Regents Professor is the university's highest faculty rank, awarded to full professors whose accomplishments warrant national and international distinction. The prestigious title is limited to no more than 3% of the university's tenured and tenure-track faculty members. 

"The University of Arizona's reputation is founded on the strength of our faculty, whether it's through their groundbreaking research, the mentorship and instruction they provide our students, or their engagement with our communities," said University President Suresh Garimella. "And our Regents Professors receive the highest honor we can bestow because of their extraordinary work and commitment to our university, and the impact they have here in Arizona and worldwide. I offer warm congratulations to our newest Regents Professors for this well-deserved achievement." 

Zaritsky is an observational astronomer whose work focuses on galaxy structure and evolution. Recognized as one of the most innovative thinkers and researchers in the field of astronomy, his accomplishments include using dwarf galaxies to map the distribution of dark matter in the Milky Way and other galaxies.

Zaritsky's most influential work includes co-authoring the paper "A Direct Empirical Proof of the Existence of Dark Matter" and co-authoring a set of four papers providing the first maps showing the stars and dust in the two largest satellite galaxies of the Milky Way: the Small Magellanic Cloud and Large Magellanic Cloud.

Zaritsky's many honors include the 2024 Beatrice M. Tinsley Prize from the American Astronomical Society, awarded biennially for an outstanding research contribution to astronomy or astrophysics. He also won the society's 1999 Newton Lacy Pierce Prize, awarded annually for outstanding achievement in observational astronomical research by a scientist under 36 years old, and a 2006 John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship.

Zaritsky serves as deputy director of the university's Steward Observatory and recently completed a six-year term as chair of the Giant Magellan Telescope Science Advisory Council.

The University of Arizona's three newest Regents Professors are:

• Janko Nikolich, Bowman Professor and Head of the Department of Immunobiology
• Jiang Wu, Professor, Department of East Asian Studies
• Dennis Zaritsky, Professor, Department of Astronomy

Read more about the Regents Professors and their work in a story on the university's news website.