Robert Hanisch

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Dr Robert Hanisch

Member since: 07/10/2013 - 13:26
Professional title: 
CEO/Managing Director/Chief Executive
Primary Domain/Field of Expertise (Other): 
astronomy
Other (professional title): 
Director, Office of Data and Informatics
Organization name: 
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Organization type: 
Government/Public Services
City: 
Gaithersburg, MD
Country: 
United States

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Dr. Robert J. Hanisch is the Director of the Office of Data and Informatics in the Material Measurement Laboratory at NIST. Prior to this appointment (July 2014) he was a Senior Scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), Baltimore, Maryland, and Director of the US Virtual Astronomical Observatory. In the past twenty-five years Dr. Hanisch has led many efforts in the astronomy community in the area of information systems and services, focusing particularly on efforts to improve the accessibility and interoperability of data archives and catalogs. He was the first chair of the International Virtual Observatory Alliance Executive Committee (2002-2003) and continues as a member of the IVOA Executive. From 2000 to 2002 he served as Chief Information Officer at STScI, overseeing all computing, networking, and information services for the Institute. Prior to that he had oversight responsibilities for the Hubble Space Telescope Data Archive and led the effort to establish the Multimission Archive at Space Telescope—MAST—as the optical/UV archive center for NASA astrophysics missions. He has served as chair of the Program Organizing Committee for the Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems (ADASS) conferences, chair of the Astrophysics Data Centers Coordinating Committee, and co-chair of the Decadal Survey Study Group on Computation, Simulation, and Data Handling. He is currently president of IAU Commission 5 (Data and Documentation), chair of the IAU Comm. 5 Working Group on Virtual Observatories, Data Centers, and Networks, and co-chair of the Comm. 5 Working Group on Libraries. He completed his Ph.D. in Astronomy in 1981 at the University of Maryland, College Park, working in the field of extragalactic radio astronomy with Prof. William Erickson.





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