Donald Figer

Donald F. Figer is an American astronomer and a professor in the College of Science of the Rochester Institute of Technology. He is also the director of RIT's Future Photon Initiative, Center for Detectors, and Rochester Imaging Detector Laboratory. His research interests include massive stars, massive star clusters, red supergiants, the Galactic Center, and the development of advanced technologies for astrophysics and a broad range of applications.

Early life and education Donald F. Figer was born in Euclid, OH, and attended Wickliffe City Schools through high school. While there, Richard Benz, Figer's science teacher, made sure to inspire his passion, remarking that “When you have a student with that kind of passion for science research, the environment I can create is going to allow that to be channeled in that direction.” Figer has a BA from Northwestern University, an MS from the University of Chicago, and a PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Research Scientific research

Using the Hubble Space Telescope, Figer observed approximately one thousand stars in a young star cluster, the Arches Cluster, which is near the Galactic Center. By measuring the initial mass function, he identified an upper limit of 150 solar masses to the masses of stars. His teams performed the first census of massive stars in both the Quintuplet Cluster and the Arches Cluster, finding that massive star clusters form in the present-day Galaxy, as opposed to the previous paradigm that suggested such clusters only formed at the time that the Galaxy formed. Figer led a team to identify the Pistol Star as one of the most massive stars known in the Galaxy using data that the team obtained using the Hubble Space Telescope. To a local newspaper, Figer remarked that the Pistol Star is one of the few stars that appear in a state where stars bubble out much of their material and eject it. He said, “It’s a nice consistent picture to help us understand why massive stars eject their outer layers. The Pistol Star may be that rare stage between being normal and going on to its last death throes.” In the same interview, Figer spoke about coming up with a good name for the star, stating, “‘Just before the press release, we were scratching our heads about what to call the star,’ Figer said, adding that its original name – QF134—wasn't that sexy.” The star's name comes from the nebula that surrounds it that looks similar to a pistol.

Instrumentation development Figer has developed and used advanced instrumentation for astrophysics his whole career. He led the electronics development for a double-beam IR camera used at Lick Observatory. He and collaborators used this camera to make the first K-band spectral atlas of Wolf-Rayet stars and to search for massive stars near the Galactic center for his PhD thesis (A Search for Emission-line Star Near the Galactic Center). estimate the mass of the supermassive black hole located at the Galactic center, and survey the organic volatile species in comet C/1999 H1 (Lee), among many other projects. Figer was one of the detector scientists working on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Figer was involved in a legal battle with his ex-wife, who wanted to have their daughter vaccinated against COVID-19 against Figer's wishes. The New York Post story says Figer "asked his ex not to rush to vaccinate their young daughter, saying there hadn’t been any studies conducted on the long-term side effects, according to court papers." A judge ruled that their daughter could be vaccinated. Monroe county Supreme Court Justice Richard Dollinger was later quoted that he is “somewhat perplexed that an accomplished scientist and professor would oppose a child vaccine authorized by the CDC, and universally encouraged by state and local physicians, and other health officials.”

Media appearances

Honors and awards SPIE Fellow Designation (2023) RIT College of Science Outstanding Outreach Award (2012) NASA JWST Project Team Award (2009) RIT Million Dollar Club (2009) Wickliffe High School Achievement Hall of Fame Inductee (2006) NYSTAR Faculty Development Award (2005) NASA Space Act Award (2004) AURA STScI Technology and Innovation Award (2004) UCLA Distinction in Teaching Award (1995)

Publications Figer has published over 200 papers, having over 5,000 citations, and has been a referee for multiple prestigious journals, including Nature, Science, Astronomy & Astrophysics and Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. Some of his notable papers include: