Sean Andrews

Sean Andrews is a Senior Astrophysicist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) within the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and a Lecturer in the Department of Astronomy at Harvard University. He concurrently serves as Director of the CfA Radio Telescope Data Center (RTDC).

Education:

• Bachelor's in Physics and Mathematics, Northwestern University, 2001
• M.S. in Astronomy, Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaiʻi, 2003
• Ph.D. in Astronomy, Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaiʻi, 2007

As an observational astronomer specializing in planet formation, Andrews investigates protoplanetary disks through physical conditions, dynamics, chemistry, and evolution of gas/solids, dust growth, and substructures. His work extends to young stars and planets—including dynamical masses, stellar evolution, multiplicity, and planet-disk interactions—alongside radio interferometry techniques like visibility modeling and digital signal processing. Recent publications demonstrate expertise in ALMA, SMA, and JWST data analysis for disk structure and chemistry.

His 2024-2025 publications reveal concentrated focus on protoplanetary disk substructures, chemical composition gradients, and kinematic signatures across major surveys like exoALMA, MAPS, and JDISC. Key themes include dust trap dynamics, molecular fractionation, circumplanetary material detection, and advanced interferometric calibration techniques—all converging on understanding planet formation mechanisms.

Scientific Awards:

• NASA Hubble Fellowship

Andrews leads research groups for DSHARP, MAPS, and exoALMA projects, mentoring students/postdocs in analyzing radio/mm-wave data. His team develops pipelines for ALMA/SMA data reduction and collaborates internationally on disk imaging. He actively recruits prospective students through dedicated website resources and coordinates with Harvard's astronomy program for academic training.

He directs the RTDC for radio telescope data analysis and operates within the CfA's Radio & Geoastronomy division. His teams drive the exoALMA survey (50+ papers) and MAPS initiative, utilizing ALMA's high-resolution capabilities to map chemical substructures and kinematic anomalies in planet-forming environments.