About
Harold Butner, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Physics Department at James Madison University (JMU), where he has served since 2006. His research focuses on understanding star formation regions through observations of dust thermal emission and molecular lines using radio and infrared telescopes. Recently, he has expanded his work to include 3D X-ray imaging of historical artifacts at the Madison Accelerator Laboratory. He holds a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Texas at Austin (1990) and a BS in Physics & Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1983).
His research interests span star formation mechanisms, interstellar medium properties, and applications of advanced imaging techniques in cultural heritage preservation. He has contributed to major surveys like the JCMT Gould Belt Survey and studies of prestellar cores in molecular clouds. His work bridges observational astronomy with laboratory-based astrophysics, particularly in analyzing molecular abundances and cloud dynamics.
