Derek Fox

Derek Fox is an Associate Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Penn State University, affiliated with the Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos (IGC). He has led groundbreaking research on gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), optical transients, and multi-messenger astronomy, contributing to key discoveries during the HETE and Swift mission eras.

• Conceived and led the science case for the JANUS Explorer mission (2010) to study cosmic dawn phenomena
• Principal Investigator for Penn State’s Astrophysical Multimessenger Observatory Network (AMON)
• Co-led the Palomar 60-inch telescope automation project at Caltech

His research focuses on high-redshift objects, gravitational-wave transients, and cosmic star formation rate at extreme distances. Selected publications include work on record-setting GRBs at redshifts z=6.3, z=8.2, and z~9.4.

Scientific Recognition:

• Recipient of the 2007 Rossi Prize from the American Astronomical Society (shared with Swift team)

Dr. Fox has held faculty positions at Penn State since 2005, transitioning from Assistant to Associate Professor. He earned his A.B. in Physics from Princeton (1993) and Ph.D. in Physics from MIT (2000).