Alex Madurowicz – 2022 Wonderfest Science Envoy

Alex Madurowicz is a Physics PhD candidate at Stanford University. Alex works with his advisor Bruce Macintosh and other collaborators from universities around the world on the Gemini Planet Imager project, which is an instrument designed for the direct imaging of extrasolar planets. By combining technologies such as adaptive optics and coronagraphy, the instrument is able to correct distortions from Earth’s atmosphere and obscure noise from host stars to directly observe planets millions of times fainter than the stars they orbit. Outside of research, Alex’s hobbies include basketball, hiking, and playing piano.