Jeffrey Richard Kuhn, also known as Jeff Kuhn, is an American

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

and

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...

who is a professor of

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

at the

University of Hawaiʻi The University of Hawaiʻi System is a public college and university system in Hawaii. The system confers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees through three universities, seven community colleges, an employment training center, ...

. He is known for his contributions to

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline, James Keeler, said, astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the ...

and the search for

extraterrestrial life Extraterrestrial life, or alien life (colloquially, aliens), is life that originates from another world rather than on Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been scientifically conclusively detected. Such life might range from simple forms ...

, particularly in the areas of

telescope A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, Absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorption, or Reflection (physics), reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally, it was an optical instrument using len ...

and detection system development, the study of the Sun and its

corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus or disease responsible for the COVID-19 ...

, and the search for planets around other stars.

Education

Kuhn received his bachelor's degree in physics and mathematics from

Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo College is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Founded in 1833 by American Baptist Churches USA, Baptist ministers as the Michigan and Huron Institute, K ...

in 1977, and then earned his master's and doctoral degrees in physics from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

in 1979 and 1981, respectively, under the supervision of

Robert Dicke Robert Henry Dicke (; May 6, 1916 – March 4, 1997) was an American astronomer and physicist who made important contributions to the fields of astrophysics, atomic physics, cosmology and gravity. He was the Albert Einstein Professor in Scien ...

Career and research

Kuhn has held positions at various universities, including Princeton and

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

, and has served as a visiting professor at several institutions around the world. He joined the Institute for Astronomy in

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

in 1997 and served as its associate director and director of the IfA/Maui division until 2015. He has made contributions to the fields of astrophysics and the search for extraterrestrial life. He is known for his work on the development of telescopes and detection systems, including the Princeton Solar Distortion Telescope (PSDT), the

National Solar Observatory The National Solar Observatory (NSO) is a United States federally funded research and development center to advance the knowledge of the physics of the Sun. NSO studies the Sun both as an astronomical object and as the dominant external influen ...

Precision Solar Photometric Telescope (PSPT), and the University of Hawaiʻi Solar Observatory for Limb Active Regions and Coronae (Solar-C). He has also contributed to the design of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) and the

Giant Magellan Telescope The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) is a ground-based, extremely large telescope currently under construction at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile's Atacama Desert. With a primary mirror diameter of 25.4 meters, it is expected to be the largest G ...

, and has conceived of other telescopes that are in the planning or construction phases, including the Polarized Light from Atmospheres of Nearby Extra-Terrestrial Systems (PLANETS) telescope and the Exo-Life Finder telescopes (ELF and MiniELF). In addition to his work on telescopes, Kuhn has also made contributions to the study of the Sun and its corona. He has developed various

infrared Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves. The infrared spectral band begins with the waves that are just longer than those ...

instruments for solar and solar coronal

spectroscopy Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets electromagnetic spectra. In narrower contexts, spectroscopy is the precise study of color as generalized from visible light to all bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. Spectro ...

and

spectropolarimetry Polarimetry is the measurement and interpretation of the polarization of transverse waves, most notably electromagnetic waves, such as radio or light waves. Typically polarimetry is done on electromagnetic waves that have traveled through or hav ...

, and has used satellite experiments to study small changes in the Sun's shape and brightness. His work has led to a better understanding of the Sun's magnetic field and its role in solar activity, such as

solar flare A solar flare is a relatively intense, localized emission of electromagnetic radiation in the Sun's atmosphere. Flares occur in active regions and are often, but not always, accompanied by coronal mass ejections, solar particle events, and ot ...

s and

coronal mass ejection A coronal mass ejection (CME) is a significant ejection of plasma mass from the Sun's corona into the heliosphere. CMEs are often associated with solar flares and other forms of solar activity, but a broadly accepted theoretical understandin ...

s. Kuhn is also involved in the search for planets around other stars. He co-founded the PLANETS Foundation, which aims to find and study planets around other stars, and has developed various instruments and algorithms for detecting and characterizing these planets. He has also co-founded the Colossus Project, which is a program to build a large telescope for searching for and studying

exoplanet An exoplanet or extrasolar planet is a planet outside the Solar System. The first confirmed detection of an exoplanet was in 1992 around a pulsar, and the first detection around a main-sequence star was in 1995. A different planet, first det ...

s, and MorphOptics, Inc., which is a company that develops advanced optics and imaging systems for a variety of applications.

Awards and recognition

Throughout his career, Kuhn has received numerous awards and honors for his scientific contributions, including the University of Hawaiʻi Regents' Medal for Excellence in Research, and the 2010

Humboldt Prize The Humboldt Research Award (), also known informally as the Humboldt Prize, is an award given by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany to internationally renowned scientists and scholars who work outside of Germany in recognition of ...

Selected publications

* * * * * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuhn, Jeff Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Astrophysicists Princeton University alumni Michigan State University alumni American scientists Humboldt Research Award recipients Kalamazoo College alumni Institute for Astronomy (Hawaii) people