W. David Arnett is a Regents Professor Emeritus of Astrophysics at Steward Observatory, University of Arizona. He earned a B.S. in Physics from the University of Kentucky in 1961, followed by an M.S. in 1963 and a Ph.D. in 1965, both in Physics from Yale University under advisor A. G. W. Cameron. His postdoctoral research took him to the California Institute of Technology with W. A. Fowler and to the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy at Cambridge University with Fred Hoyle. Arnett's academic career includes faculty positions at Rice University, the University of Texas, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of Astronomy, the University of Chicago as B. and E. Sunny Distinguished Service Professor from 1976 to 1988, and the University of Arizona since 1988.

Arnett's research centers on theoretical astrophysics, particularly supernova explosions, nucleosynthesis, stellar evolution, turbulent convection in stellar interiors, and computational hydrodynamic simulations of stellar phenomena including black hole and neutron star formation. He has advanced understanding of Type Ia supernovae through delayed-detonation models, core-collapse supernovae, and light curve analyses. Key publications include the monograph Supernovae and Nucleosynthesis: An Investigation of the History of Matter, from the Big Bang to the Present (1996); Type I supernovae. I - Analytic solutions for the early part of the light curve (1982); Supernova 1987A (1989); A possible model of supernovae: Detonation of 12C (1969); and Turbulent Convection in Stellar Interiors. I. Hydrodynamic Simulation (2007). His contributions have shaped modern supernova theory and stellar nucleosynthesis. Arnett's honors include election to the National Academy of Sciences (1985) and American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1985), the Hans Bethe Prize (2009), Henry Norris Russell Lectureship (2012), and Fellow of the American Physical Society (1987).

Professional Email: wda@arizona.edu