Robert Kennicutt

Robert Kennicutt

Laureate Professor, Astronomy

Robert Kennicutt’s research is focused on observations of galaxies which are aimed at better understanding their formation and evolution. He has developed a broad suite of multi-wavelength methods for measuring the star formation rates and properties of galaxies, which can be applied over a wide range of galaxy types, environments, and cosmic lookback times. He also has studied the relationships between star formation and the physical properties of the interstellar medium, and characterized the large-scale chemical abundance properties of present-day galaxies. Although he was trained as an optical observer, his work now exploits observations from across the electromagnetic spectrum. He has led large international collaborations using the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Herschel Space Observatory, the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, and the Hubble Space Telescope. He has served in a number of other roles at the national and international levels, including as Director of the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge, Editor-in-Chief of The Astrophysical Journal, and as Co-Editor of the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics. He is co-chairing the National Academy of Sciences Astro2020 Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics.