After more than 21 years, Irwin Shapiro has stepped down as head of the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Filling his shoes is Charles Alcock, who moves from the University of Pennsylvania to begin a five-year term as director on 1 August.
Known for the breadth of its research and for operating NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory , the CfA has more than 300 scientists and an annual budget of $110 million.
“The CfA is a stunning organization. I want to make sure that it remains where it is—a major leading large place to do astrophysics,” says Alcock. “One of the scariest aspects of the job is that a director can do harm. Managing scientists is like herding cats. Imagine herding 300 cats. The job of the director is to create an environment that fosters people with good new ideas and allows them to form collaborations.”
Topping Alcock’s...
