Overview
Working with the institution’s leadership team and the Board of Trustees, Mulchaey is responsible for maintaining an environment where scientists can flourish. He also plays a critical role in building and expanding Carnegie Science’s partnerships with Caltech, University of Southern California, The Huntington Library, Museum, and Botanical Gardens in Pasadena, and in deepening our relationship with city officials and the local community, as well as providing critical support for fundraising and relationship-building.
Mulchaey is a respected astronomer, well-regarded for his work on groups and clusters of galaxies—most of which, including our own Milky Way, exist collectively. These systems can be important laboratories for studying the processes that shape galaxies throughout their lifetimes, from their formation through their evolution. Early in his career, Mulchaey led the research group that revolutionized our understanding of galaxy groups by revealing the existence of large amounts of dark matter in their compositions. More recently, he was part of the teams that discovered the first known binary quasar system and that first watched a fast radio burst in real time.
He joined Carnegie as a postdoctoral fellow, after a graduate student fellowship at the Space Telescope Science Institute. At the conclusion of his fellowship, he received a Staff Scientist appointment. Dr. Mulchaey was named Director in 2015 after five years as Associate Director for Academic Affairs. He earned his Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Maryland and a bachelor’s degree in the same from Berkeley. He is a member of the American Astronomical Society’s Committee on Astronomy and Public Policy and the Weber Prize Selection Committee.
In 2020, Mulchaey received the Rotary Club’s Helios Humanitarian Star Award in acknowledgment of his longstanding efforts at promoting outreach events and activities to share astronomy with enthusiasts of all ages throughout the Los Angeles area.
He created the popular Observatories Astronomy Lecture Series at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, and gives upwards of 50 talks each year to groups around Southern California and across the country. He also launched a program for gifted high school students from Southern California to gain exposure to what it’s actually like to be a scientist.
Mulchaey has appeared frequently in the media, including NBC’s The Today Show, CNN, Fox News Channel, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, NPR, Astronomy Magazine, and Discover Magazine among others.
Press Releases
Public Talks
Mulchaey is a dedicated public speaker, sharing the wonders of astronomical discovery with space enthusiasts all over Southern California.
Astronomy in 2020: The Great Debates Today - Dr. John Mulchaey
The Day We Found the Universe - Marcia Bartusiak and Dr. John Mulchaey
Shining a Light on Gravitational Waves - Dr. Maria Drout, Dr. Anthony Piro, and Dr. Ben Shappee
21st Century Astronomy So Far - Dr. John S. Mulchaey