Dr. Jeff Kuhn is a physicist and astronomer, having received his physics PhD from Princeton in 1981. He helped found the Advanced Technology Research Center of the Institute for Astronomy University of Hawaii on Maui in 2003 and was its director until 2012. As a researcher, he’s generated about $14M of federal research grants over the last decade and published more than 200 papers. His innovative optical research has contributed to telescopes now under construction, like the Giant Magellan Telescope and the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (for which he is a principal co-investigator). His scientific work has been recognized with an International Senior Humboldt Prize (from Germany) and international research fellowships from Japan, Switzerland, Germany, and France. He serves as an advisor for diverse organizations ranging from the BreakThrough Starshot and Watch committees to advisory Boards for NASA and university programs. He leads the PLANETS consortium.
As soon as the first images captured by the James Webb telescope were published in July 2022, we started to produce a report where the sky describers entered the scene. Astronomers, astrophysicists, instrument specialists, data analysts, all have exposed their contribution to the exploration of the sky, their fascination in front of the immensity of the cosmos and the questions that remain unanswered. This video is part of a series made in Hawaii and on the West Coast of the United States.