Robert Williams (astronomer)

[3][2] Prior to his work at STScI, he was a professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona in Tucson for 18 years and the director of Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory from 1986 to 1993.[1] He completed a doctorate at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1965 with a thesis titled The Ionization and Temperature Equilibrium of a Gas Excited by Optical Synchrotron Radiation.This historic project resulted in the Hubble Deep Field, a landmark image showing in remarkable detail the structure of galaxies in the early universe.[8][9] A member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Williams' research specialties cover nebulae, novae, and emission-line spectroscopy and analysis.[10] In 1996, Williams made the controversial decision to offer the director's discretionary time on the Hubble Space Telescope to two competing teams using distant supernovae to determine the universe's expansion rate accurately.
Dunsmuir, CaliforniaUniversity of California, BerkeleyUniversity of Wisconsin–MadisonBeatrice M. Tinsley PrizeNASA Distinguished Public Service MedalKarl Schwarzschild MedalAstronomySpectroscopyUniversity of ArizonaCerro Tololo Inter-American ObservatorySpace Telescope Science InstituteThesisDoctoral advisorDonald E. OsterbrockastronomerInternational Astronomical UnionTucsonbachelor of scienceDonald Edward OsterbrockHubble Space TelescopeHubble Deep FieldAmerican Academy of Arts & Sciencesnebulaeemission-line spectroscopyscience educationsupernovaeuniverse's expansion rateunknown energy sourceNobel Prize in Physicsemeritus professorAmerican Men & Women of Science: A Biographical Directory of Today's Leaders in Physical, Biological, and Related SciencesAssociated Universities, IncAsteroid DayInformationsdienst WissenschaftUniversity of Massachusetts AmherstDrake, NadiaNational GeographicCarnegie Institution for Science