Catherine Pilachowski

Catherine Pilachowski is an American astronomer, professor and Kirkwood Chair in astronomy at Indiana University Bloomington. She is a fellow at the American Association for the Advancement of Science and former president of the American Astronomical Society.
Early life and education.
Pilachowski was born and raised in California. She has stated that growing up during the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union led to her interest in becoming an astronomer. 
She received her B.S. in Physics in 1971 from Harvey Mudd College in California and an M.S. and Ph.D. in 1975 from the University of Hawaii. 
Career.
Pilachowski is a fellow at the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Astronomical Society. She was president of the American Astronomical Society from 2002 to 2004. For over twenty years, she was a staff astronomer at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory's Kitt Peak Observatory in Tuscon, Arizona where she served as Project Scientist for the design and construction of the WIYN Telescope.
Pilachowski became a professor of astronomy at Indiana University and in 2001 was named the Daniel Kirkwood Chair in the Department of Astronomy.
Pilachowski specializes in understanding the spectra of starlight. Her work has included searching for the molecular species hydrogen fluoride.