Claire Ellen Max

Claire Ellen Max (born September 29, 1946 ) is a Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) and is affiliated with the Lick Observatory. She was the Director of the Center for Adaptive Optics at UCSC, 2007–2014. This work began at the JASON Defense Advisory Group, which she joined in 1983 as its first female member. With her colleagues in JASON, she developed the idea of using an artificial laser guide star to correct astronomical images. In addition to continuing to develop this technology at the Center for Adaptive Optics, she uses adaptive optics to study active galactic nuclei as well as planets in the Solar System.

Awards and honors

Fellow, American Physical Society Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow, SPIE 2002, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 2015, Joseph Weber Award for Astronomical Instrumentation, American Astronomical Society 2020, Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society.