IPAC Names New Deputy Director

Written by Seppo Laine (Caltech/IPAC)

Dr. Rachel Akeson, a senior science staff member at IPAC, has been appointed Deputy Director of IPAC. Her new appointment was announced on December 2, 2022, effective immediately. She succeeds Dr. Roc Cutri, who served as the Deputy Director for nearly two decades.

Akeson, who received her Ph.D. at Caltech in 1996, is recognized nationally and internationally for her research and leadership and for her participation in numerous committees—most recently as trustee for the Association of Universities Inc (AUI). Her research focuses on protoplanetary disks around young and main sequence stars.

Akeson’s 20-year tenure at IPAC has given her a wide breadth of expertise and knowledge of IPAC archives and missions.  Initially, she served as Project Scientist on the Keck Interferometer, then rose through the leadership ranks of the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI) as Deputy Director and Manager.  Under her leadership, she transformed the NASA Star and Exoplanet Database (NStED) into the NASA Exoplanet Archive. She then took on the role of task lead for the Roman Science Support Center. She is currently the lead for the SPHEREx Science Data Center and plans to continue to lead the effort for the Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey subsystem on Roman. 

“I am looking forward to starting my new role as Deputy Director, while also continuing on the SPHEREx and Roman projects at IPAC,” said Akeson. “One of the areas I will concentrate on is IPAC’s support of future missions, such as the Astrophysics Probe Explorer Programs. This will include maintaining our links to the community, both within Pasadena and beyond. One of IPAC’s great strengths is our staff, and I will also help with recruiting and retaining the people that make all the great work possible. I appreciate the opportunity to take on this new role and to explore new areas of IPAC’s diverse portfolio.”  

“This is an exciting time for the IPAC community as we prepare to support several new missions that will launch starting in 2023. Dr. Akeson brings strong and broad expertise which will be vital in navigating this new era,” said IPAC Executive Director George Helou. “By the same token, IPAC owes a great debt of gratitude to Roc Cutri, who made innumerable contributions during his term as IPAC Deputy Director.” 

Cutri served IPAC as Deputy Director while managing science data systems central to IPAC’s identity, most notably for the 2MASS and WISE/NEOWISE missions, and now for NEO Surveyor. Cutri’s work and leadership have been recognized with many awards by the American Astronomical Society, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, NASA, and the National Academy of Sciences.