Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger

Lisa Kaltenegger is an astrophysicist, public speaker, and author. She is the founding Director of the Carl Sagan Institute to Search for Life in the Cosmos at Cornell University, professor in Astronomy, and author of Alien Earths: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos. Asteroid Kaltenegger7734 is named after her. Lisa is a pioneer and world-leading expert in modeling habitable worlds and their light fingerprint and has spent the last decade finding new ways to spot life in the cosmos, working with NASA and ESA from Austria to the Netherlands, Harvard, Germany, and now Cornell. Lisa was named one of America’s Young Innovators by Smithsonian Magazine, an Innovator to Watch by TIME Magazine, and stars in the IMAX 3D movie "The Search for Life in Space". She speaks at events around the globe, including the Aspen Ideas Festival, TED Youth, World Science Festival, and STARMUS. In Alien Earths, she takes us on an eye-opening journey to the most unusual exoplanets that have shaken our worldview, the worlds of science fiction - and the best contenders for Alien Earths. With infectious enthusiasm, she creatively analyzes our world and links our understanding of alien worlds (and the possibility of life) to the grand story of Earth's own past, revealing the hidden links in Earth's history and its astonishing biosphere, and our quest. Kirkus' starred Review calls Alien Earths "Absorbing, informative, and entertaining”, Alan Alda describes it as "fascinating and tantalizing", Sci-Fi author Alastair Reynolds adds that after reading the book, you "feel your cosmic perspective shift just a little on its axis...." and Michael Mayor, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for the Discovery of the first Extrasolar Planet concludes "Do you want to prepare yourself for the next 'Copernican revolution'? Then read Lisa Kaltenegger's book! Fascinating." Lisa lives with her family in Upstate NY, and when she is not trying to find life in the cosmos, she loves reading, traveling, cooking, dancing, and spending time with friends while drinking too much coffee. Find her @KalteneggerLisa @CSinst