Catherine Pilachowski

Catherine Pilachowski is a Distinguished Professor of Astronomy holding the Daniel Kirkwood Chair at Indiana University Bloomington in the field of Space Science. She earned a B.S. in Physics from Harvey Mudd College in 1971, an M.S. from the University of Hawaii, and a Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Hawaii in 1975. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Washington studying compositions of stars in globular clusters, she spent over 20 years on the scientific staff at the NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory in Tucson, Arizona, including as Project Scientist for the design and construction of the 3.5-meter WIYN Telescope. In 2001, she joined Indiana University Bloomington as Professor of Astronomy.

Pilachowski's research in stellar astrophysics examines the evolution of stars and the chemical history of the Milky Way Galaxy through spectroscopic analysis of chemical compositions in stars and star clusters, with a focus on abundances of odd light elements such as fluorine, chlorine, and phosphorus. Her work contributes to understanding nucleosynthesis processes and galactic chemical evolution. Notable publications include "Chemical Abundances for 855 Giants in the Globular Cluster Omega Centauri (NGC 5139)" (2010, with C.I. Johnson) and "Phosphorus Abundances in the Hyades and Galactic Disk" (2019, with Z. Maas et al.). She has served as Chair of the Department of Astronomy, Interim Dean of the Office of Women's Affairs, and Associate Dean for Graduate Education in the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University. Pilachowski was President of the American Astronomical Society from 2002 to 2004, and she is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association of University Women, and CIC Academic Leadership Program. She has been active in light pollution issues, astronomical instrumentation, women in science, and diversity initiatives, serving on numerous national and international boards and committees. At Indiana University, she received the Bicentennial Medal in 2020 and was named Distinguished Professor in 2019.

Professional Email: cpilacho@iu.edu