Shelley Wright

Shelley Wright is a Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of California, San Diego. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles (2008). Her research focuses on observational and experimental astrophysics, particularly the formation and evolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes using advanced instrumentation such as integral field spectrographs coupled with adaptive optics. She leads instrument programs at Lick and Keck Observatories and serves as Project Scientist for the IRIS instrument for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT).

Her work includes designing near-infrared and optical astronomical instruments, with notable contributions to the IRIS project and a Near Infrared SETI experiment. Key achievements include discoveries of massive black holes in giant elliptical galaxies and studies of high-redshift star-forming galaxies.

• Awards: 2016-17 Hellman Faculty Fellow
• Instrument Leadership: IRIS (TMT), Lick/Keck projects

Her publications span adaptive optics applications, galaxy dynamics, and innovative observational techniques. Current and future work includes advancing instrumentation for the TMT and extending SETI searches into new observational realms.