Mike Alexandersen

Mike Alexandersen is an Astronomer at the Minor Planet Center (MPC) within the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, serving as an MPC Fellow since 2020 and in his current role since October 2023. He holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Astronomy from the University of Copenhagen (2007–2009) and a Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia (2015). His postdoctoral research at Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (2015–2019) focused on Solar System dynamics. At the MPC, Alexandersen specializes in orbit determination of minor planets, Centaurs, and moons, alongside software development.

• Education:
  • B.Sc. in Astronomy, University of Copenhagen (2007)
  • M.Sc. in Astronomy, University of Copenhagen (2009)
  • Ph.D. in Astronomy, University of British Columbia (2015)

Research Interests: Mike’s work centers on discovering and tracking distant Solar System objects (Kuiper Belt objects, Centaurs, planetary moons) and simulating their dynamical behavior. His expertise in computational astrophysics supports orbit-fitting algorithms and software tools critical for MPC operations.

Affiliations: Active member of the MPC and contributor to projects like the Magellan Telescopes and TESS exoplanet survey. Collaborates with institutions such as the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the University of Arizona.