Dara Norman

Dara Norman is Interim Director of the Community Science and Data Center at the NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) in Tucson, Ariz. Her research interests include understanding large-scale structure in the Universe and the influence of active galactic nuclei on galaxy evolution. 

Dara has been active in efforts to change the culture and grow the workforce of Astronomy and Astrophysics and has co-authored numerous white papers, articles, and a book on these topics. She has been a member of the American Astronomical Society’s (AAS) Committee on the Status of Minorities in Astronomy; chair of the ASTRO section of the National Society of Black Physicists; co-chair of the AIP TEAM-UP Implementation Workshops, and co-organizer of the 2015 Inclusive Astronomy Conference, convened to discuss intersectional barriers and solutions to success in astronomy. She is currently the president of the AAS. 

Dara received a Distinguished Alumni Timeless Award from the University of Washington; is a Howard Advance-IT Visiting Faculty Fellow and was recognized in the inaugural class of AAS Fellows.  She holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Astronomy from the University of Washington and a B.S. in Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Science from the Mass. Inst. of Technology.