Faculty Type: 
Active Faculty
Title: 
Luke Blossom Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences; Physics Dept. Chair
Additional Titles: 
Physics Department Chair
Address: 
Varian Physics Rm. 168
382 Via Pueblo Mall
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-4060
Phone Number: 
650-723-3004
Contact Email: 
peterm@stanford.edu
Personal Website: 
http://www.stanford.edu/~peterm/
Group Website: 
StanfordWho directory listing
Support Staff: 
Wenli Lucy Heffner
Jenifer Conan Tice

My research is in experimental and observational astrophysics, with the current focus on observations of the high-energy universe with the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.  Historically, I have also done research on gravitational radiation detection.  Currently, I lead the international collaboration that built and now operates the Fermi LAT. Investigations with the LAT include observations of gravitationally compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes as well as searching for signatures of dark matter in the diffuse radiation and the study of transient gamma-ray bursts.  The LAT data set continues to grow and the energy coverage increases with increasing exposure.

Career History

  • B.S., 1974, Santa Clara University 
  • M.S., 1976, Stanford University 
  • Ph.D., 1979, Stanford University 
  • Associate, NASA-Ames Research Center, 1976-79 
  • Research Associate, High Energy Physics Laboratory and Physics Department, Stanford University, 1980-83 
  • Senior Research Associate, High Energy Physics Laboratory and Physics Department, 1984 
  • Assistant Professor of Physics, Stanford University, 1985-91 
  • Associate Professor of Physics, Stanford University, 1991-97 
  • Professor, Physics, Stanford University, 1997- present
  • Director, Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Stanford University, 2009-2013
  • Luke Blossom Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford University, 2013-present
  • Physics Department Chair, Stanford University, 2013-present

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