Carnegie Science Names Michael Blanton 12th Observatories Director

Astronomer Michael R. Blanton will join the Carnegie Science Observatories as its 12th director, overseeing astronomical research in Pasadena and telescope operations at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, one of the world’s elite observing sites. Blanton joins Carnegie Science from New York University, where he is a Professor of Physics and the Director of the Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics. He succeeds John Mulchaey, who was named Carnegie Science President in late 2024.

Blanton’s research has centered primarily on conducting large astronomical surveys to place precise constraints on cosmological history and to unravel the formation history of galaxies. During his two-decade academic career at NYU, Blanton played pivotal roles in every generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), including serving as the Director of its fourth phase. 

“When we launched the search to identify the next director of the Carnegie Science Observatories, we went into the process with a long list of qualities and qualifications that would make for an ideal candidate,” said Mulchaey. “In Michael, we are so fortunate to have found someone who not only reflects those desired attributes, but who wholly embodies Carnegie’s spirit of discovery and innovation. Michael has a deep well of knowledge of the work that we do at the Observatories and his enthusiasm for our telescopes and their instruments is infectious. I look forward to working with him to ensure that the Observatories maintains its place at the vanguard of astronomical discovery.”

Blanton’s experiences in instrumentation and data collection will be valuable as he oversees Carnegie Science Observatories’ research campus in Pasadena and its portfolio of telescopes at Las Campanas, including the twin 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes, the 2.5 m du Pont Telescope, the 1.0 m Swope Telescope, and SDSS’s newly-installed Local Volume Mapper. Once completed, the Giant Magellan Telescope, which is under construction at Las Campanas, will revolutionize our understanding of the cosmos.  

“There is nowhere better to be an astronomer than Carnegie Observatories,” Blanton said. “It gives its astronomers the resources and freedom to research observational and theoretical questions that nobody else can, by using the best telescopes in the world and by designing and building new instruments, and it is one of only a few places in the world where the next generation of astronomers can learn all of these skills.” 

Blanton earned his doctorate in astrophysical sciences at Princeton University, following a bachelor’s degree in applied and engineering physics at Cornell University. Prior to joining the faculty at NYU, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Theoretical Astrophysics Group at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. He has authored or co-authored over 200 research papers. 

The Carnegie Observatories were founded in 1904 by George Ellery Hale, whose direct appeal for support from Andrew Carnegie led to the construction of the Mount Wilson Observatory in Pasadena’s San Gabriel Mountains. The telescopes that were subsequently built on Mount Wilson include the 100-inch Hooker Telescope, with which Edwin Hubble confirmed that the Andromeda Nebula was in fact a distant galaxy, showing that the Milky Way was just one of countless galaxies in the universe. Under Carnegie’s auspices, Hubble would later discover the universe’s expansion, kicking off more than a century of innovation in astronomy and cosmology. Today, the Carnegie Science Observatories continues this legacy from Las Campanas Observatory, in the high, dry, and dark deserts of northern Chile.

At its research campus in Pasadena, Carnegie Science Observatories astronomers pursue investigations across a broad range of astrophysics, from the Solar System to the most distant known objects in the universe, and play leading roles in developing new astronomical instrumentation. With its instrumentation facilities, Visualization Laboratory, and access to Las Campanas, its astronomers explore novel ideas and take risks on potentially transformative technology. This environment fosters the development of its postdoctoral fellows, its associated graduate students, and its undergraduate interns into the future leaders of astronomy. 

To fulfill its commitment to bringing these frontiers of knowledge to the general public, the Observatories welcomes thousands of science enthusiasts to attend its annual Open House and Astronomy Lecture Series presented in partnership with the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. 

“Engaging the community in the scientific process is an essential part of the Observatories’ mission,” said Blanton. “My goal as director will be to help Carnegie astronomers achieve their most ambitious goals and to share their insights and discoveries with the world.”