Chief scientist for astronomy and physics at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Dr. Werner was the scientist mentor for a special mini-NITARP team working with his SOFIA data.
Dr. Michael Werner is the Project Scientist for the Spitzer Space Telescope and also the Chief Scientist for Astronomy and Physics at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. He has been an active researcher in infrared astronomy for over 35 years, studying star formation, the interstellar medium and the central regions of our Galaxy. He has served as Spitzer Project Scientist since 1984 and was one of the leaders of the evolution of Spitzer from a shuttle-attached payload into the elegant free-flying observatory now operating successfully in an Earth-trailing solar orbit. Werner was named the 2006 George Darwin lecturer by the Royal Astronomical Society in recognition of the success of Spitzer and is also the recipient of two NASA Outstanding Leadership medals. He graduated from Haverford College in 1963 with a B.A. in physics and received a PhD in Astronomy from Cornell University in 1968.