Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an American astrophysicist, author, and science communicator who has become one of the most recognisable faces of popular science in the world. He earned a BA in physics from Harvard in 1980 and a PhD in astrophysics from Columbia University in 1991, where his doctoral research examined the chemical evolution of the Milky Way's central bulge. Since 1996, he has served as director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, where he also founded the Department of Astrophysics.

Tyson's public profile expanded dramatically through television. He hosted the 2014 series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, the long-awaited sequel to Carl Sagan's original Cosmos, which reached hundreds of millions of viewers globally and remains one of the most widely seen science documentary series in history. He has authored numerous popular science books, and since 2009 has hosted the StarTalk Radio podcast, which became a television programme in 2015. His YouTube presence extends primarily through StarTalk clips and lectures, and he has received the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal—the agency's highest civilian honour—as well as nine honorary doctorates.

Tyson has been a prominent and consistent voice against astrology, creationism, and science denialism in public discourse. He was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2007, and in 2004 he chaired the President's Commission on the Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy. His work represents decades of sustained commitment to the public understanding of science at the highest institutional levels.