Rate My Professor George Helou

George Helou is a Research Professor of Physics in the Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), with a focus on space science. A native of Lebanon, he earned his B.S. in Physics from the American University of Beirut in 1975 and his Ph.D. in Astrophysics and Radio Science from Cornell University in 1980. After completing postdoctoral work at the Arcetri Observatory in Italy, Helou joined Caltech in 1983 as a research associate for the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) mission, which established the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) as a data processing center. He advanced through staff scientist and leadership roles in key projects, including the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED), the Precision Segmented Reflector, and the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). In 1997, he served as Acting Director of the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) Science Center, later renamed the Spitzer Science Center following its 2003 launch.

From 1999 to 2024, Helou led IPAC as Executive Director for 25 years, expanding it to support over 20 missions, projects, and data archives, such as the Infrared Science Archive (IRSA), Euclid NASA Science Data Center (ENSCI), Roman Science Support Center, and Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE). He progressed from Senior Research Associate (1998-2014) to Research Professor (2014-present). Helou's research interests encompass galaxy evolution and star formation processes, particularly how galaxies convert gas and dust into stars; the emergence and development of the first stars and quasars; basic properties and dynamics of galaxies; demographics and cosmic evolution of galaxies and quasars; intermediate luminosity infrared-bright transients; near-Earth asteroids; and exoplanets with potential for life. He has contributed scientifically and in leadership to every major space infrared astronomy mission, including IRAS, ISO, Spitzer Space Telescope, Herschel Space Observatory, Planck Surveyor, and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). Helou has authored nearly 300 articles in professional journals. His honors include the Gruber Cosmology Prize, NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, Coat of Arms of the Presidency of the Republic of Lebanon, election to the Lebanese Academy of Sciences, and presidency of that academy since 2014. Currently, as Senior Science Advisor at IPAC, he continues research in space science.