Dimitar Sasselov

Dimitar Sasselov, Professor of Astronomy at Harvard University and Director of the Harvard Origins of Life Initiative, has revolutionized our understanding of exoplanets and life's cosmic origins. Born in Bulgaria in 1961 to a scientific family, he earned his first Ph.D. in physics from Sofia University in 1988 and a second in astronomy from the University of Toronto in 1990. As a co-investigator on NASA's Kepler mission, he has been instrumental in discovering hundreds of potential Earth-like planets, including the groundbreaking discovery of OGLE-TR-56b in 2002, which was the most distant planet known in the Milky Way at that time. His interdisciplinary leadership at the Harvard Origins of Life Initiative brings together biologists, chemists, and astronomers to explore fundamental questions about life's emergence in the universe. Through his research on the interaction between light and matter, planetary conditions, and complex chemistry, Sasselov bridges the gap between astrophysics and biology. His work extends beyond traditional astronomy to explore how planetary conditions influence the potential for life, contributing significantly to our understanding of super-Earths and the possibilities of life beyond our solar system.