Eric Feigelson

Eric Feigelson is a Distinguished Senior Scholar and Professor at the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics and Department of Statistics at Pennsylvania State University. He holds dual appointments and has been a faculty member since 2002. His research focuses on X-ray astronomy, particularly star and planet formation, and the interdisciplinary field of astrostatistics. He co-founded the Center for Astrostatistics and has organized major conferences like the Statistical Challenges in Modern Astronomy series and the Summer Schools in Statistics for Astronomers.

Education: B.A. in Astronomy from Haverford College (1975), M.A. and Ph.D. in Astronomy from Harvard University (1978, 1980).

Research Contributions: Pioneered X-ray studies of young stellar populations using observatories like Chandra, leading projects such as the Chandra Orion Ultradeep Project (COUP) and MYStIX. Co-authored the seminal textbook Modern Statistical Methods for Astronomy with R Applications (2012). Currently explores exoplanet detection via statistical methods and prepares for the Rubin Observatory's sky surveys.

Awards & Roles: Served as Statistical Scientific Editor of the American Astronomical Society Journals since 2016. Recognized with the PROSE Award, Bruno Rossi Prize, and multiple honorary titles. Holds visiting professorships at Imperial College London (2016) and the University of Padua (2019).

Teaching & Mentorship: Taught all levels of astronomy courses at Penn State. Advised numerous students through research projects and the Summer School programs, fostering interdisciplinary education in statistics and astronomy.