Ralph Shuping

Ralph Shuping, Ph.D. earned his doctorate in Astrophysics from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2000 then went on to work on development of the archive and observation planning systems for the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA); first as a postdoc at UCLA under Prof. Mark Morris, and then as a staff scientist at NASA Ames Research Center. In 2008, Ralph and his family moved back to Portland, Oregon, and in 2009 he joined SSI so that he could work in an organization dedicated to astronomical research and public outreach. Ralph continues to work on contract for the SOFIA program as an Observatory Scientist, and is also an Adjunct Professor in the Physics Department at Lewis & Clark College in Portland. Ralph has participated on several Sirius Travel tours as an Astronomer guide and is always an asset to any trip.

Ralph’s primary research interests revolve around star formation in cluster environments (e.g. Orion) and especially the effect of high-mass star formation on nearby solar-mass protostars. In addition, he has recently started a project on the evolution of circumstellar disks around young, high-mass stars using SOFIA.