John Mather

John Mather is a Senior Astrophysicist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where they have worked since 1976. They also served as a Senior Project Scientist for the JWST project from 1995 to 2023, leading science teams and collaborating with engineering teams to maximize the scientific potential of the mission. Prior to this, Mather held an NRC postdoctoral position at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies from 1974 to 1976, where they conceived and proposed the COBE satellite mission, which garnered a Nobel Prize in 2006. Mather began their academic journey as a Hertz Foundation fellowship recipient at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1970 to 1974, focusing on physics and experimental work related to the heat of the Big Bang.