Carl Grillmair's Curriculum Vita

Carl J. Grillmair - Curriculum Vita


Address:           Spitzer Science Center
                   California Institute of Technology
                   Mail Stop 314-6
                   Pasadena,CA 91125
                   U.S.A.

phone: (626) 395 8073 FAX: (626) 432 7484 email: carl _at_ ipac.caltech.edu


Education

Degrees:           B.Sc. (Honours) Astrophysics      University of Calgary, 1983
                   M.Sc. Astronomy                   University of Victoria, 1986
                   Ph.D. Astronomy & Astrophysics    Australian National University, 1993

Awards:            Australian National University      1988-1992        Australian National 
                     Ph.D. Scholarship                                      University
                   Natural Sciences and Engineering    1988-1991        Australian National
                     Research Council of Canada                             University
                     Ph.D. Scholarship
                   University of Toronto Open          1987             University of Toronto
                     Doctoral Fellowship 
                   Petrie Fellowship                   1987             University of Victoria
                   Top Student in Physics Prize        1981,1982,1983   University of Calgary
                   Province of Alberta Award           1981,1982        University of Calgary
                   BP Canada Scholarship               1981-1982        University of Calgary
                   University of Calgary Merit Award   1980             University of Calgary
                   Cecil M. Brownlee Bursary           1979             University of Calgary

Employment History

Spitzer Science Center              Associate Research Scientist 1997-present   Pasadena, California
California Institute of Technology  Research Fellow              1996-1997      Pasadena, California
University of California            Visiting Research Fellow     1992-1995      Santa Cruz, California
Australian National University      Graduate Student             1988-1992      Canberra, Australia
Space Telescope Science Institute   Research Assistant           1985-1987      Baltimore, Maryland
University of Victoria              Teaching Assistant           1984-1985      Victoria, British Columbia
University of Victoria              NSERC Undergraduate Fellow   1983           Victoria, British Columbia
University of Calgary               NSERC Undergraduate Fellow   1981,1982      Calgary, Alberta

Honors and Awards:



             2011 NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal

	     MacLean's Magazine Honour Roll 2006: "Thirty-Nine
		 Canadians Who Make the World a Better Place to Live
		 In: Discoverers and Thinkers."

             1997 Gemini Fellowship
                 
             Awarded, 165 orbits/hours of Hubble and Spitzer Space
                 Telescope time as Principal Investigator.

             Awarded, 1488 hours/orbits of Hubble and Spitzer Space
                 Telescope time as Co-Investigator.


Professional Experience

2010-present: Serving as a calibration scientist for the WISE Data Center. 2010-2013: Co-Investigator and core science team member of the FINESSE NASA Explorer proposal to develop and launch a space telescope dedicated to spectroscopic characterization of exoplanet atmospheres. (PI Swain). 1997-present: Serving the Spitzer Science Center as a member and one-time deputy task lead of the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS instrument support team, and most recently as a member of the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) instrument team. 2007-2011: Principal Investigator, Palomar Transient Factory Galactic Dynamics Key Project. 2008: Member, Large Synoptic Survey Telescope Galactic Structure Science Collaboration, and co-chair of the Near-Field Cosmology group (with Marla Geha). 2007-2013: Co-Investigator, Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope-PLUS collaboration (LAMOST-PLUS, Principal Investigator Heidi Newberg). 2005-2007: Principal Investigator, California Transit Authority Extrasolar Planet Search Team. 1999-2010: Member, Infrared Spectrograph GTO team (PI Houck). 2005-present: Co-Investigator, Virtual Planetary Lab (Principal Investigator Victoria Meadows). This large, NASA-funded team is applying a multi-disciplinary approach to studying techniques and prospects for the detection of habitable planets and life around other stars. 2004-2007: Member, Origins Billion Star Survey collaboration (PI Johnston). This was a concept study for a spacecraft that would measure the positions and motions of stars throughout the entire Milky Way galaxy. 2000-2010: Co-Investigator, Space Interferometry Mission/Planetquest Galactic Structure Science Team (PI Majewski). Developed plans and campaigns to assemble the target list for the SIM Planetquest Mission to study the structure and evolution of the Galactic disk and halo. 1998-1999: Member, HCOSS (High Constrast Origins Science Strategies for the Next Generation Space Telescope) collaboration (Principal Investigator John Trauger). This was a design study to investigate exoplanet-imaging techniques for use on what is now called the James Webb Space Telescope. 1993-2001: Co-Investigator, Hubble Space Telescope "NUKER" collaboration to study the cores of nearby galaxies with the Hubble Space Telescope (Principal Investigators Doug Richstone and Sandy Faber). We were awarded a total 430 orbits of Hubble Space Telescope time and discovered supermassive black holes in the centers of almost all the galaxies we examined. Numerous publications. 1996-1997: Member, Wide Field/Planetary Camera 2 Science Team. Analyzed WFPC2 GTO data and published papers on stellar populations in the Local Group. Also investigated charge transfer efficiency problems with WFPC2 by analyzing both on-orbit calibration data, and designing and carrying out experiments using the Witness WFPC2 at JPL. 1994-1997: Member, "SAGES" collaboration to obtain Hubble Space Telescope imaging and Keck spectroscopy of extragalactic globular cluster systems. 1992-1995: Member, Wide Field/Planetary Camera Instrument Definition team. Analyzed and published both pre- and post-refurbishment Hubble Space Telescope data acquired through the WFPC GTO program. Also assisted in the pre-launch testing and calibration of WFPC2. 1985-1986: Data Analyst, Space Telescope Science Institute. While my primary role was as a research assistant, during this time I also spent time at the Goddard Space Flight Center and recalibrated the on-orbit camera sensitivities for the International Ultraviolet Explorer.

Telescope Allocations

2015: Awarded 2 nights on the Palomar 200 inch for program "Associating RR Lyrae with Tidal Streams". PI Grillmair 2014: Awarded 1 night on the Palomar 200 inch for program "Associating RR Lyrae with Tidal Streams". PI Grillmair. 2014: Awarded 1 night on the Blanco 4-meter/DECam for program "Tracing the Orphan Stream with DECam". PI Grillmair. 2013: Awarded 1 night on the Blanco 4-meter/DECam for program "Extending the Orphan Stream with DECam". PI Grillmair. 2011: Awarded 871 hours of Cycle 8 Explorer time on the Spitzer Space Telescope for program "Phase Curves of Transiting Exoplanets." PI Krick. 2009: Awarded 23.1 hours of Cycle 6 time on the Spitzer Space Telescope for program "Spitzer/IRAC Study of Stellar Streams Around Nearby Galaxies." PI Laine. 2009: Awarded 1 night on the Palomar 200 inch for program "Bootes III: A New and Disrupting Dwarf Galaxy?" PI Grillmair. 2008: Awarded 10.1 hours of Cycle 5 time on the Spitzer Space Telescope for program "An Exoplanet Transmission Spectrum". PI Swain. 2008: Awarded 17 orbits in Cycle 17 on Hubble Space Telescope program "The Main Sequence Luminosity Function of Low-Mass Globular Clusters". PI Smith. 2008: Awarded 5.1 hours of Cycle 5 time on the Spitzer Space Telescope for program "Variability in PMS Circumbinary Disks". PI Boden 2008: Awarded 25.6 hours of Cycle 5 time on the Spitzer Space Telescope for program "The Latitudinal Distribution of Solar System Small Bodies". PI Fazio. 2008: Awarded 2 nights on the Palomar 200 inch for program "Bootes III: A New and Disrupting Dwarf Galaxy?" PI Grillmair. 2007: Awarded 119 hours on Spitzer Space Telescope program "A Spitzer/ IRS Legacy Spectrum for Exoplanet HD 189733b". PI Grillmair. 2007: Awarded 2 nights on the Palomar 200 inch on program "Bootes III: A New and Disrupting Dwarf Galaxy?". PI Grillmair. 2007: Awarded 5 nights on WIYN for program "Fishing in Tidal Streams", PI Grillmair. 2006: Awarded 12 hours on Spitzer Space Telescope program "A Spitzer Spectrum for HD 189733b". PI Grillmair. 2006: Awarded 4.4 hours of Director's Discretionary Time on the Spitzer Space Telescope for program "Spitzer Observations of the Enceladus Plume", PI Meadows. 2006: Awarded 9 nights on the Kitt Peak and CTIO 4-meters as PI on program "Tracing Tidal Tails in Galactic Globular Clusters". 2005: Awarded 64 orbits on Hubble Space Telescope program "Resolving M32's Main Sequence: A Critical Test for Stellar Population Studies". PI Lauer. 2005: Awarded 2 nights on the Palomar 200 inch as PI on program "Deep Imaging of Open Cluster for Extrasolar Planet Detection" 2005: Awarded 4 nights on the CTIO 4-meter as PI on a program "Tracing the Tidal Tails of NGC 5897" 2004: Awarded 4 nights on the Palomar 200 inch as PI on program "Tracing Tidal Tails in Galactic Globular Cluster." 2003: Awarded 14 nights on the Kitt Peak and CTIO 4-meters as PI on program "Tracing Tidal Tails in Galactic Globular Clusters." 2003: Awarded, 7 nights on the Palomar 200 inch as PI on program "Tracing Tidal Tails in Galactic Globular Clusters". 2003: Awarded, 2 nights of Open Use time on the Subaru Telescope as PI on program "The Tidal Tails of Palomar 5: Tracing the Demise of a Globular Cluster." 2000-2002: Awarded 7 nights on the Palomar 200 inch as PI on program "Tracing Tidal Tails in Galactic Globular Clusters." 2000: Awarded, 3 orbits on the Hubble Space Telescope as PI on program "Proper Motions in Baade's Window". 1999: Awarded, 8 orbits on the Hubble Space Telescope as PI on program "The Evolution of Globular Cluster Systems in Early-Type Galaxies". 1996: Awarded, 18 orbits on the Hubble Space Telescope as Principal Investigator on program "Globular Clusters in Fornax Galaxies".

Research Grants

2012: NASA Astrophysics Data Analysis proposal "The WISE Variable Source Database and RR Lyrae Tracers of Milky Way Tidal Streams" (PI R. Cutri) 2011: NASA Astrophysics Data Analysis proposal "Stellar Debris Streams: Probing The Galactic Dark Matter Distribution with WISE and 2MASS" (PI Grillmair) 2011: Spitzer Cycle 8 program "Phase Curves for Transiting Exoplanets" (PI Krick). 2010: NSF Proposal "A Partnership with the Chinese LAMOST Project in Galactic Astronomy" (PI Newberg). 2009: Spitzer proposal "Spitzer/IRAC Study of Stellar Streams Around Nearby Galaxies" (PI Laine). 2008: Spitzer proposal "An Exoplanet Transmission Spectrum". (PI Swain). 2008: HST proposal "The Main Sequence Luminosity Function of Low-Mass Globular Clusters". (PI Smith). 2007: Spitzer proposal "A Spitzer/IRS Legacy Spectrum for Exoplanet HD 189733b", (PI Grillmair). 2006: Spitzer proposal "A Spitzer Spectrum for HD 189733b" (PI Grillmair). 2005: HST proposal "Resolving M32's Main Sequence: A Critical Test for Population Studies", (PI Lauer). 2004: SIM Planetquest proposal "Taking Measure of the Milky Way", (PI Majewski). 2000: HST proposal "Proper Motions in Baade's Window", (PI Grillmair). 1999: HST proposal "The Evolution of Globular Cluster Systems in Early Type Galaxies", (PI Grillmair). 1998: HST proposal "The Early Evolution of Local Group Dwarf Irregular Galaxies", (PI Smith). 1998: HST proposal "The Main Sequence Luminosity Functions of NGC 5466 and Palomar 5", (PI Smith). 1997: HST proposal "NICMOS Imaging of Red Giants in M32", (PI Worthey). 1996: HST proposal "Globular Clusters in Fornax Galaxies", (PI Grillmair). 1995: HST proposal "Globular Clusters and Shells in Elliptical Galaxies", (PI Forbes).

Services to the Community

2014: Served on the NASA Astrophysics Data Analysis panel "Normal Galaxies". 2013: Served on the National Science Foundation Panel "Galaxy Structure." 2010: Served on National Science Foundation panel "Galactic Populations, abundances, surveys, and structure." 2005-2010: Director, Llano Community Association. 2009: Served on NASA Keck 2009b Exoplanet panel. 2009: Served on National Science Foundation panel "Galactic Structure and the Local Group." 2008: Served on Spitzer Exploration Science Galactic time allocation panel. 2008: Served on the NASA Keck 2009a Exoplanet panel. 2008: Served on the Spitzer Warm Mission Exoplanet Ad Hoc committee. 2008: Served on National Science Foundation panel "Galaxies 1: Groups and Clusters." 2008: Served on Spitzer Fellowship Review panel. 2004-2005: Served on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Palomar time allocation committee. 2001-present: Served as external advisor to graduate students and mentor to high school students in the U.S. and Europe. 1995-present: Refereed numerous ground-based telescope proposals, as well as NRC, NSERC, NASA, private endowment, and European individual grant applications. 1999: Served on NASA Astrophysics Theory Program proposal review. 1998: Served on Galaxy Populations and Interactions panel for the Cycle 8 Hubble Space Telescope Proposal Review. 1998: Served on Space Telescope Science Institute Focus Group to examine alternative, more efficient methods of calibration, analysis, and archiving of Hubble Space Telescope Data.

Invited Seminars

"Nearby Halo Streams", ESO Chile Workshop Satellites and Streams in Santiago, 15 April, 2015. "Nearby Halo Streams", invited review given at "Lessons from the Local Group", a conference celebrating the birthdays of Bruce Elmegreen and David Block in the Seychelles Islands, May 20-25, 2014 "Exploring the Galaxy with Stellar Streams", Chesley Bonestell Memorial Lecture at the Monterey Institute for Research in Astonomy, 23 February, 2013. "Probing Galactic Dark Matter with Stellar Debris Streams", invited seminar given at Cerro Tololo InterAmerican Observatories, 2 June, 2011. "Stellar Debris Streams: New Probes of Galactic Structure and Formation", invited colloquium given at the University of Virginia, 9 September, 2010. "Stellar Debris Streams: New Probes of Galactic Structure and Formation", invited review given at "Galaxies and their Masks: K. C. Freeman 70th Birthday Fest'' in Sossusvlei, Namibia, April 2010. "`Combined Light Transits, Photometry and Spectroscopy", invited review give at the Keck Institute for Space Studies workshop on ``Innovative Approaches to Exoplanet Spectra'' at Caltech, November 2009. "An Overview of the Palomar Transient Factory Pipeline and Archive at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center", invited review given at Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems XIX in Sapporo, Japan, October 2009. "Spitzer/IRS Measurements of Exoplanets" 2009 Sagan Expoplanet Workshop on "Exoplanetary Atmospheres", Caltech, July 2009. "Spectroscopy with the Spitzer Space Telescope", Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, Chicago, Illinois, 11 March, 2009. "Galactic Structure and Near Field Cosmology with Tidal Streams", Carnegie Observatories Colloquium Series, Observatories of the Carnegie Institute of Washington, Pasadena, 3 March, 2009. "Strong Water Absorption in the Atmosphere of HD 189733b", invited seminar given at the Center for Exoplanet Science, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 5 February, 2009. "Finding Galactic Streams in Large Surveys", invited review at the Ringberg conference on Classification and Discovery in Large Astronomical Surveys, Ringberg Castle, Germany, 16 October, 2008. "Spitzer Characterization of Hot Extrasolar Planets", invited review at COSPAR-08, Montreal, July, 2008. "Stellar Streams in the Local Group", invited seminar given at Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow State University, 4 August, 2007. "A Spitzer Spectrum of HD 189733b", invited seminar given at the Center for Exoplanet Science, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 16 April, 2007 "Tons of Tidal Streams", invited talk given at the Aspen Center for Physics Summer Workshop on "Deconstructing the Local Group", Aspen, CO, August 2007. "Galactic Structure with SIM", colloquium given at the Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 14 June 2004. "Globular Cluster Tidal Tails", invited seminar given at the Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Chile, 3 July, 2003. "Photographic Searches for Extended Tidal Streams", invited talk given at the Ringberg Workshop on Satellite Galaxies, June 28-July 2, 1999, at Ringberg Castle, Tegernsee, Germany. "Tidal Stripping of Globular Clusters: Observations and Simulations", invited talk at Joint Discussion JD15, during the XXIIIrd General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union, August 18-30, 1997, Kyoto, Japan. "Probing the Galactic Halo with Globular Cluster Tidal Tails", invited talk given at the Workshop on Galactic Halos, August 4-10, 1997, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Public Outreach

2008: Nature press release "Exoplanet may harbour stormy skies". 2007: Caltech/AAS-210 press release "Running Rings Around the Galaxy". 2007: NASA/Caltech press release "NASA's Spitzer First to Crack Open Light of Faraway Worlds", with J. Richardson and M. Swain. 2006: NASA/Caltech press release "Astronomers Find a Galactic Highway in the Sky" 2006: Caltech press release "Astronomers Discover a River of Stars Streaming Across the Northern Sky". 1999: Space Telescope Science Institute press release "Hubble Finds More Evidence of Galactic Cannibalism" 1997-present: Have given numerous public talks on general astronomy, NASA missions, and the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes at schools, planetariums, star parties, community centers, and resort locations.

Interests and Passions

Cycling (road) Hiking (alpine) Skiing (helicopter) Flying (sailplanes, ultralights, general aviation) Music (classical, opera, rock, alternative, African, Middle Eastern) Environment (clean energy, recycling, waste reduction, water conservation) Home and Car Repair (what now honey...?) Dogs (big)
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Last updated: 19 May, 2015

Carl Grillmair (carl _at_ ipac.caltech.edu)