Dr. Claire E. Max Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics Astronomer, UC Observatories/ Lick Observatory UC Santa Cruz Other positions: Director, Center for Adaptive Optics, an NSF Science and Technology Center Contact Information: Office: Center for Adaptive Optics, Room 213 Phone: 831-459-2049, Fax: 831-459-5717 Email: max at ucolick.org

Educational Background:

• A. B. Harvard University, Astronomy
• Ph. D., Princeton University, Astrophysical Sciences - Plasma Physics

Research Interests:

My research focuses on astronomical applications of adaptive optics. I use the adaptive optics systems at the Lick and Keck Observatories to observe astronomical objects at infrared wavelengths. I am also active in the development of advanced adaptive optics systems for large current and future ground-based telescopes. I work closely with graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, as well as with colleagues at UCSC and the adaptive optics team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The LLNL group has developed laser guide star adaptive optics for the Lick and Keck Observatories.

In the past several years I have been using adaptive optics to observe nearby active galactic nuclei (galaxies with black holes in their cores), and more distant galaxies in the CATS survey. With colleagues from Berkeley I imaged the planet Neptune and Saturn's moon Titan with adaptive optics. I serve as the Director of the Center for Adaptive Optics, an NSF Science and Technology Center with headquarters at UC Santa Cruz.

Courses:

Astronomy 289C: Adaptive Optics and its Applications
Astronomy 18: Planets and Planetary Systems

Other Information:

Curriculum Vitae (html) (pdf)
Publication List (html) (pdf)

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