1995 PhD, Physics Princeton University
Thesis: "Radio Observations of Binary Pulsars: Clues to Binary Evolution and Tests of General Relativity". Advisor: J. H. Taylor
1991 MA, Physics Princeton University
1989 BSc, Physics (Highest Honours) McGill University
Zaven Arzoumanian
(Research AST, Fields and Particles)
Org Code: 662
NASA/GSFCMail Code: 662
Greenbelt, MD 20771
Employer: NASA
Current Projects
Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) Mission
Deputy Principal Investigator and Science Lead
X-ray and radio studies of pulsars and associated phenomena, including the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav)
Pulsars
Internal and emission properties, nebulae, tests of relativity, binary evolution, and low-frequency gravitational waves
Technology development
X-ray diffractometry using CCDs, for Earth and planetary exploration
Modulated X-ray sources, for detector calibration, communication, material science, and medical applications
X-ray "concentrator" optics, for telescopes with large effective-area to mass ratios
Positions/Employment
Research Astrophysicist
NASA - NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD
February 2017 - Present
Senior Research Scientist
USRA - NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD
2011 - February 2017
Director of Astronomy
USRA - Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo, PR
November 2011 - August 2012
Research Scientist
USRA - NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD
2004 - 2011
Research Associate
USRA - NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD
2001 - 2004
Natl Res. Council Associate
NASA GSFC - Greenbelt, MD
1999 - 2001
Research Associate
Cornell University - Ithaca, NY
1994 - 1999
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Princeton University - Princeton, NJ
1992 - 1994
Graduate Research Assistant
Princeton University - Princeton, NJ
1989 - 1994
Education
Special Experience
Founding Director & current President, Wild Me, 501(c)(3) scientific charitable organization — www.wildme.org and www.whaleshark.org. NASA technology transfer success story at http://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2009/er_1.html
Publications
Refereed
Arzoumanian, Z., E. V. Gotthelf, S. M. Ransom, et al. S. Safi-Harb, R. Kothes, and T. L. Landecker. 2011. Discovery of an Energetic Pulsar Associated with SNR G769+10 Astrophysical Journal 739 (1): 39 [10.1088/0004-637X/739/1/39]
Arzoumanian, Z., S. Safi-Harb, T. L. Landecker, R. Kothes, and F. Camilo. 2008. Chandra Confirmation of a Pulsar Wind Nebula in DA 495 The Astrophysical Journal 687 505 [10.1086/591654]
Arzoumanian, Z., J. Holmberg, and B. Norman. 2005. An Astronomical Pattern-Matching Algorithm for Computer-Aided Identification of Whale Sharks Journal of Applied Ecology 42 999
Stairs, I. H., S. E. Thorsett, and Z. Arzoumanian. 2004. Measurement of Spin-Orbit Coupling in a Binary Pulsar System Physics Review Letters 93 101
Arzoumanian, Z., K. C. Gendreau, W. C. Cash, A. F. Shipley, and S. Z. Queen. 2004. Laboratory Testbeds for Broadband X-ray Interferometry SPIE 5488 623