The Galaxy Zoo Team

The Galaxy Zoo team of Zookeepers has expanded from humble beginnings to a motley collection of astronomers and developers, all of whom are working to keep you occupied and make the most of your results.

Steven Bamford — Astronomer, University of Nottingham
Works on figuring out what makes galaxies look the way they do: how they formed and why they change as they get older and move to new cosmic locations. Somehow manages to still do some science between helping to run Galaxy Zoo and entertaining Archie, his two-year old son.
Chris Lintott — Astronomer, University of Oxford
Between Galaxy Zoo, co-presenting the BBC's Sky at Night program and writing for www.chrislintott.net and elsewhere, Chris usually wishes he had more time to sleep.
Lucy Fortson — Adler Planetarium, Chicago
Wanted to be an astronaut had to settle for being an astrophysicist. Currently studying gamma rays from active galaxies by night and leading the Adler Planetarium's work with the Zooniverse and other citizen science initiatives by day. Enjoy listening to my nine-year-old son's fantastic stories about rollercoasters, time machines and greek gods.
Danny Locksmith — Volunteer Programmer
Responsible for wrestling the Galaxy Zoo 2 beta site into existence.
Stuart Lynn — University of Oxford
Works on simulations of the largest structures in the Universe. Also helps to keep the Zooniverse running as a developer.
Phil Murray — Web Designer, Artist and Managing Director of Fingerprint Digital Media
Responsible for the visual design of the Galaxy Zoo web site. Designer of www.banguniverse.com for Brian May, Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott. A keen musician and lapsed tennis and soccer player.
Bob Nichol — Cosmologist, University of Portsmouth
An astronomer, astrophysicist and cosmologist with interests in computer science and statistics. A senior member (or 'Builder') of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, the most ambitious digital survey of the sky ever undertaken. A long suffering supporter of Manchester City.
Kevin Schawinski — Astronomer, Yale University
Works on the formation and evolution of galaxies and their supermassive black holes. Usually trying to get more sleep. And coffee.
Robert Simpson — Astronomer, University of Oxford
Studies the formation and evolution of protostars. He also works behind the scenes to keep Galaxy Zoo and the rest of the Zooniverse ticking over.
Anze Slosar — Cosmologist, Berkeley Center for Cosmological Physics
A theoretical physicist, who has has never sat behind a telescope, likes to drink good beer and wishes he were richer.
Arfon Smith — Software Developer, University of Oxford
The technical guru of Galaxy Zoo 2, he produced our swish new site and organised all the background workings it depends upon.
Alex Szalay — en, the_team, asl, name
One of the creators of the SDSS SkyServer, and currently involved in building the Virtual Observatory. Plays some music in his 'spare' time.
Daniel Thomas — Astronomer, University of Portsmouth
Interested in galaxies of any shape, age, colour and habitat in the universe. When he's not sunbathing, his research focuses on the stars in galaxies and what they tell us about galaxy formation and evolution.
Carie Cardamone — Astronomer, Yale University
Leading the analysis of the mysterious Galaxy Zoo green peas!
Karen Carney — Director of Education, Adler Planetarium
An educational designer and researcher, Karen wonders what draws volunteers to the Zooniverse and what they take away from the experience. Karen finds performing with an improv comedy troupe good practice for working with scientists.
Jim Cresswell — Cosmologist, University of Portsmouth
Studying how the large-scale distributions of galaxies depend on their colour and Galaxy Zoo morphology.
Daniel Darg — Astronomer, University of Oxford
Working on measuring the number and properties of galaxy mergers identified in Galaxy Zoo.
Edd Edmondson — Astronomer, University of Portsmouth
Zookeeper, maintainer of the forum, blog and wiki, and general helper-outer.
Boris Häusßler — Astronomer, University of Nottingham
An expert on analysing Hubble Space Telescope images and automatic morphology methods.
Ben Hoyle — Astronomer, University of Portsmouth
Currently developing exciting connections between Google Sky and Galaxy Zoo. Also working on using the lensing of distant quasars to learn about the properties of nearby Galaxy Zoo galaxies.
Sugata Kaviraj — Astronomer, University of Oxford
Studying the Galaxy Zoo mergers.
Bill Keel — Astronomer, University of Alabama
Author of 'The Road to Galaxy Formation' and 'The Sky at Einstein's Feet'. With research interests in galaxy formation and evolution, dust content of galaxies, and active galactic nuclei, he couldn't stay away when Galaxy Zoo got started.
Phil Marshall — Astronomer, University of California, Santa Barbara
Studies galaxy development and cosmology using gravitational lenses. He wants more and needs your help to find them.
Karen Masters — Astronomer, University of Portsmouth
Interested in spiral galaxies of all kinds, red has always been her favourite colour. She's working to disentangle the 'true' red spirals, from those that are reddened because we see them edge on, and along the way learn about interstellar dust, and the nature of red spirals themselves.
Pamela Gay — Astronomer, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Having never decided what to be when she grows up, she splits her time between programming and research for Galaxy Zoo, co-hosting Astronomy Cast, and writing randomly. In her spare time, she tries not to fall off her horse, Skye.
Jordan Raddick — Science Education and Outreach Coordinator, Johns Hopkins University
A science writer and educator, creator of the science projects on the SDSS SkyServer web site, and an avid science fiction reader and writer. Jordan wishes he could visit galaxies in their natural habitat.
Nic Ross — Astronomer, Pennsylvania State University
Working on quasars from the SDSS and using Galaxy Zoo data to understand how different types of galaxies trace the dark matter that makes up most of our universe. Originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, he enjoys playing 'soccer', is a huge Hibs fan, likes acting and his favourite musical is 'West Side Story'.
Ramin Skibba — Astronomer, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Leading the use of marked correlation functions to analyse the Galaxy Zoo morphologies.

Retired from the Galaxy Zoo team

Dan Andreescu
Consultant by day, programmer and seeker of knowledge and fun by night. Avid basketball player and rookie surfer on the weekends.
Kate Land
Added some much-missed glamour to the world of Theoretical Cosmology. Once could not sleep at night for thoughts about the early Universe, but slept during seminars instead. Now lured away by the bright lights of the City.
Jan VandenBerg
Ringleader of the IT support circus in the JHU Physics & Astronomy department.
Alainna Wonders
Tightrope walker therein.

Galaxy Zoo Poland Support Team

Paweł Biernacki
Student of astronomy at Wrocław University, enthusiast of the Sun, addicted to sci-fi books; upbeaten optymist and fan of soccer.
Krzysztof Czart
An astronomer and PhD student in a city where Nicolaus Copernicus was born, investigating the biggest stars in galaxies (those from Earth, too). In a spare time, he is a journalist as editor-in-chief of the Polish Astronomy Portal.
Tomasz Czernik
Loves astronomy and photography. The youngest team member.
Mirek Kołodziej
Galaxy Zoo translator, lover of the sky, IT student in secoundary school in Niepolomice, in spare time bard, he tried to bend a spoon with willpower.
Marta Kotarba
Marta has worked on the Polish version of Galaxy Zoo 2. Normally shespends her time setting puzzles, photographing and trying to study astronomy at Jagiellonian University.
Ariel Majcher
An astronomer and astrophotographer, likes watching sky through a telescope. This is the reason that he dreams about removal from Poland to Malta at least (along with the temperature in winter).
Lech Mankiewicz
Hunts for fast optical transients in the sky. Coordinator of the 'Pi of the sky' robotic telescope project and father of Agnieszka. In his spare time coordinates the EU-HOU project.
Waldemar Ogloza
An astronomer from Pedagogical University of Kracow, variable star observer. He devotes his spare time to astronomical education and sailing.
Jan Pomierny
Founder and team leader of the Polish Astronomy Portal. Philosophy and classical music enthusiast who rests in mountains.
Tomasz Skowron
Astronomy amateur and educator. Daily teacher of physics and astronomy in secondary school in Szczecin.
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