Alan C. Cummings

Alan Coffman Cummings (born in 1944) is an American astrophysicist and cosmic ray researcher who has served as a Senior Research Scientist at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) since 1973. He is best known as an investigator of NASA's Voyager program's Cosmic Ray Subsystem and as a leading expert on galactic cosmic rays in interstellar space.

Biography Alan Coffman Cummings grew up in Wichita Falls, Texas. He was the youngest child, with two brothers and a sister. He had a competitive family where academic excellence was standard, his older brother was a state football champion and his sister a junior tennis champion. Cummings also played tennis. His father worked in a peanut distribution business after the Great Depression forced him out of teaching mathematics.

Personal life Cummings met his wife Suzette on her birthday in March 1973 while he was at Caltech delivering his thesis for printing. Suzette worked in various administrative roles at Caltech for over 40 years. She was recognized as an honorary alumna in 2001. Cummings has authored or coauthored 172 papers in peer-reviewed journals. According to his Google Scholar page, 57 of those have been cited more than 13,000 times as of 2025.