Professor Dr. Chris Theissen

Biography

Chris Theissen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of California, San Diego. His research centers on studying the habitability of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs. He is deeply interested in using low-mass stars as tracers for galactic kinematics, age, metallicity, and related fields. Chris is also exploring machine learning and artificial intelligence approaches in object classification and generation surveys, as well as exoplanet detection and stellar/sub-stellar characterization. Born of Peruvian-German descent, he grew up in sunny San Diego and developed a passion for astrophysics during his time at community college. After working as a mechanic, he gained an appreciation for the precision of engineered parts, which further fueled his desire to pursue a career in astronomy. He was inspired by visualizations such as the Hubble Deep Field and literature like Stephen Hawking’s 'A Brief History of Time', which ignited his enthusiasm for exploring the cosmos.

Research Interests

Experience