Don Figer
Director of Center for Detectors
Don Figer
Director of Center for Detectors
Education
BA, Northwestern University; MS, University of Chicago; Ph.D., University of California
Bio
Don Figer is Professor in the College of Science and Founder and Director of the Rochester Imaging Detector Laboratory, Center for Detectors, and the Future Photon Initiative at RIT. He previously was co-founder and Director of the Independent Detector Testing Laboratory at the Space Telescope Science Institute where he led a team to do the competitive characterization of prototype infrared detectors for the James Webb Space Telescope. He has been PI on dozens of observational astrophysics and instrumentation development programs. Dr. Figer studies massive stars, young star clusters, and the Galactic center. He identified the Pistol star as one of the most massive known. He made the first direct measurement of an upper limit to the masses of stars and has discovered more evolved massive stars and massive star clusters in the Galaxy than any other researcher. Dr. Figer has authored 300 publications with over 8,500 citations and has an h-index of 48.
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In the News
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June 27, 2025
RIT researchers continue to explore the universe during JWST Cycle 4
Numerous members of the RIT community will participate in exploring the universe during the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) fourth cycle, set to begin in early July.
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March 26, 2025
Center for Detectors reached milestone in NASA-funded project
The center is working to advance and characterize single-photon sensing CMOS image sensors to determine if they can survive the harsh radiation environments in NASA missions. A successful image was recently captured, providing a milestone in the project.
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February 7, 2024
NASA, RIT Center for Detectors partner to help future spacecraft survive longer, harsher missions
RIT's Center for Detectors has been chosen by NASA for two research programs: Early Stage Innovations (ESI) and Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT), with the hope of helping future spacecraft find new discoveries in the vast universe.
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January 10, 2025
Figer discusses habitable worlds at ANU
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June 17, 2024
Figer, Gallagher, and students attend SPIE astronomical telescopes and instrumentation conference
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March 18, 2024
Figer presents on James Webb Space Telescope
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August 17, 2023
Figer speaks at Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics event