Chris has a background in physics, philosophy, and theology. He became a Jesuit in 1963 and was ordained in 1976. His PhD in astronomy is from the University of Toronto. He joined the Vatican Observatory (VO) in 1983 and was assigned to Tucson in 1984 as Administrator and then Vice Director up until 2012. He became a member of the small team that built the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope. After its dedication in 1993 and until 2012 he remained responsible on behalf of the VO for its operation and upgrades. His interdisciplinary research includes human evolution and our off-world prospects.