Neil deGrasse Tyson

Director, Hayden Planetarium

Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the world’s preeminent astrophysicists. The director of New York City’s Hayden Planetarium and host of the popular television series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, Dr. Tyson is the recipient of 18 honorary doctorates and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest award given by NASA to a non-government citizen. He has twice served on presidential commissions on aerospace; is the author of 10 books, including the New York Times bestseller Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries; and hosts StarTalk, a radio show and podcast combining celebrity guests with appealing scientific subjects, whose target audience is people who had no idea they could ever find science interesting. Dr. Tyson holds a PhD degree in astrophysics from Columbia.