Dan Reichart

Dan Reichart is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He serves as Director of the Skynet Robotic Telescope Network, PROMPT telescopes in Chile/Australia/Canada, and Morehead Observatory. His research focuses on developing accessible telescope systems, statistical techniques for data analysis, and time-domain astronomy (e.g., gamma-ray bursts, gravitational-wave events). He is deeply involved in astronomy education outreach.

Affiliations:

• Director, Skynet Robotic Telescope Network
• Director, PROMPT Telescopes
• Director, Morehead Observatory

Research Interests: Innovating telescope accessibility, statistical outlier rejection methods, radio astronomy instrumentation, and education-driven astronomy curricula. Notable projects include the ERIRA program and Skynet-based educational initiatives.

Recent Research Trends: Publications emphasize algorithmic advancements in radio mapping and robust statistical techniques for astrophysical data analysis. His work bridges observational astronomy with computational methods.

Awards:

• $96K Mt. Cuba Grant for gravitational-wave counterpart detection
• Sigma Xi Grant to Roark Habegger
• Shelton Award to Nick Konz

Advising & Grants: Advised students securing major research grants. Led $51K Morehead Observatory renovation. Collaborates with Winston-Salem State University on educational partnerships.

Labs/Teams: Leads Skynet team, ERIRA (Educational Research in Radio Astronomy), and radio/afterglow research groups. Active in public outreach via museum talks and social media.