Fiona A. Harrison

Fiona A. Harrison is the Harold A. Rosen Professor of Physics and Kent and Joyce Kresa Leadership Chair at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), within the Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy. She holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College (1985) and a Ph.D. from the University of California (1993). Her career at Caltech includes roles as a Robert Millikan Research Fellow (1993–95), Assistant Professor (1995–2001), Associate Professor (2001–2005), and full Professor (2005–2013). Since 2013, she has held the Rosen Professorship and served as Division Chair since 2015.

Her research focuses on observational and experimental high-energy astrophysics, including studies of black holes, neutron stars, and gamma-ray bursts using X-ray and gamma-ray telescopes like NuSTAR. She leads the Ultraviolet Explorer (UVEX) mission, designed to study gravitational wave events and low-mass galaxies. Harrison is also involved in developing advanced detectors and optical systems for NASA missions.

Her leadership roles include overseeing the Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, and she is affiliated with Caltech’s Space Radiation Laboratory (SRL). Collaborations include work with institutions like Orbital Sciences Corporation and Danish Technical University (honorary doctorate).