Welcome!

Dr. Joshua S. J. Reding, PhD
AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow
National Science Foundation
Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Division of Astronomical Sciences
Electromagnetic Spectrum Management


I am an astronomer, philosopher, and educator, and I hope to keep the world curious, considerate, and optimistic of its role in the great cosmic narrative. My doctoral research, conducted under Provost J. Christopher Clemens at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, investigated unusual white dwarf stars that likely formed in stellar mergers as “failed” supernovae. I also designed astronomical instrument components, including for our primary research tool—the Goodman Spectrograph on the Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) 4.1-m telescope at Cerro Pachón, Chile.

I extensively engaged in science outreach and education as a graduate student, including as a member of the SciREN Triangle team and as organizer and host of the local event series Astronomy on Tap in the Triangle. Hoping to use my science communication skills to address prescient problems, I entered the science policy realm by participating in the American Astronomical Society’s Congressional Visit Days program, where I explained the growing negative impacts of satellite pollution to North Carolina’s legislators using data from an innovative telescope designed and built at UNC Chapel Hill, and called for action. I saw how clever ideas of any size can affect major global issues, and, following the completion of my PhD, won a North Carolina STEM Policy Fellowship in the NC Department of Commerce’s Office of Science, Technology & Innovation, which supports entrepreneurial North Carolinians in crafting solutions to improve the lives of everyone living in the Tar Heel State. I now am delighted to bring my science policy experience back to my field of research as a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow in the National Science Foundation’s Division of Astronomical Sciences, and I hope to make a lasting positive impact on the future of observational astronomy.

I completed my BA with a double major in Astronomy-Physics and Philosophy at Colgate University, and my MS and PhD in Physics from UNC Chapel Hill. I live in Alexandria, VA with my wife, Olivia, and two cats, Ghillie and Hobbes.