Bernard Scott Gaudi (born 1974) is an American astronomer. He is the Thomas Jefferson Professor for Discovery and Space Exploration, a professor of astronomy, and chair of undergraduate studies at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best pu ...

's department of astronomy. He was chair of th
NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group
(2012–2014) and th
NASA Astrophysics Advisory Committee
(2012–2014). In 2018, Gaudi was co-chair of the National Academy of Science
Exoplanet Science Strategy
study.

Background

Gaudi grew up in a small rural town in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

. He completed high school at the

Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, or IMSA, is a three-year residential public secondary education institution in Aurora, Illinois, United States, with an enrollment of approximately 650 students. Enrollment is generally offered to inc ...

, his undergraduate education at the

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

, and his doctorate at

. Gaudi has been a faculty member of the Ohio State University Department of Astronomy since 2006. He previously was a Menzel Fellow at

Harvard College Observatory The Harvard College Observatory (HCO) is an institution managing a complex of buildings and multiple instruments used for astronomical research by the Harvard University Department of Astronomy. It is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United S ...

in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and
Hubble Fellow
at the

Institute for Advanced Study The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), located in Princeton, New Jersey, in the United States, is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholar ...

in Princeton, NJ. Gaudi is a gay man. He shared that he hopes to bring representation to astronomy, and he has focused on engaging LGBTQ and HIV-impacted youth with astronomy.

Academic research

Gaudi is a leader in the discovery and statistical characterization of

extrasolar planets An exoplanet or extrasolar planet is a planet outside the Solar System. The first possible evidence of an exoplanet was noted in 1917 but was not recognized as such. The first confirmation of detection occurred in 1992. A different planet, init ...

using a variety of methods, including transits and

gravitational microlensing Gravitational microlensing is an astronomical phenomenon due to the gravitational lens effect. It can be used to detect objects that range from the mass of a planet to the mass of a star, regardless of the light they emit. Typically, astronomers ...

. In 2008, he and his collaborators announced the discovery of the first Jupiter/Saturn analog using microlensing. In 2017, he co-led the

Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope The Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (or KELT) is an astronomical observation system formed by two robotic telescopes that are conducting a survey for transiting exoplanets around bright stars. The project is jointly administered by memb ...

survey collaboration and announced the discovery of

KELT-9b KELT-9b is an exoplanet—more specifically, an ultra-hot Jupiter—that orbits the late B-type/early A-type star KELT-9, located about 670 light-years from Earth. Detected using the Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope, the discovery of KELT-9b ...

, which is the hottest transiting

gas giant A gas giant is a giant planet composed mainly of hydrogen and helium. Gas giants are also called failed stars because they contain the same basic elements as a star. Jupiter and Saturn are the gas giants of the Solar System. The term "gas giant" ...

ever discovered. Gaudi's first major media appearance was in ''

Discover Discover may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Discover'' (album), a Cactus Jack album * ''Discover'' (magazine), an American science magazine Businesses and brands * DISCover, the ''Digital Interactive Systems Corporation'' * ...

'', when the magazine named him one of "20 Young Scientists to Watch in the Next 20 Years." Gaudi has helped discover over fifty planets with several techniques, with his work earning him coverage in the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

'', ''

New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publish ...

'', ''

Sky & Telescope ''Sky & Telescope'' (''S&T'') is a monthly American magazine covering all aspects of amateur astronomy, including the following: *current events in astronomy and space exploration; *events in the amateur astronomy community; *reviews of astronomic ...

'', ''

Astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

'' and ''

Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fran ...

'', among others.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaudi, Scott Ohio State University faculty Living people People from Staunton, Illinois Michigan State University alumni Ohio State University Graduate School alumni American astronomers 1974 births Harvard College Observatory people LGBT people from Illinois American LGBT scientists Gay academics Gay scientists LGBT astronomers