Kim Weaver

Dr. Kimberly A. Weaver (born April 19, 1964) is an American astrophysics astronomer and professor. She has worked with NASA on several research projects. She is often seen on television programs about astronomy. She is an expert in the area of x-ray astronomy.

Early life and education Weaver was born in Morgantown, West Virginia. As a five-year-old girl she was impressed by pictures of planets and galaxies as well as the 300 foot antenna dish of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia. She also credits the Apollo 11 lunar mission as the inspiration to become a career scientist at NASA.

She attended West Virginia University and completed a B.S.degree in physics in 1987. She then enrolled at the University of Maryland in 1988, where she began working as a student intern at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Kim graduated from the University of Maryland in 1990 with M.S. in Astronomy. She was accepted to the University of Maryland at College Park and graduated in 1993 with Ph.D. in astronomy. Her doctoral thesis was in complex broad-band X-ray spectra of Seyfert Galaxies. In 1998, she returned to Goddard. In addition to Chandra, Weaver has worked with other x-ray telescopes such as the XXM-Newton, RXTE, and the BeppoSAX, satellites. In 2005 she was on special assignment to the California Institute of Technology as the Spitzer Program Scientist for NASA. Currently Weaver, in addition to working with NASA, is also an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. including: the American Astronomical Society's Executive Committee of the High Energy Astrophysics Division and Committee for the Status of Women in Astronomy; the International Astronomical Union; the American Physical Society; and the Goddard Employees Welfare Association.

Awards Weaver has received many awards including: 2011, West Virginia University Academy of Distinguished Alumni 2009, Robert H. Goddard Exceptional Achievement Award in Outreach 2009, Distinguished Alumna Award, University of Maryland Astronomy Department