Research Bio

Aaron Parsons is a radio astronomer and instrumentation expert whose research focuses on the early universe and the development of next-generation telescopes. He is a leading figure in the search for signals from the "Cosmic Dawn”—the period shortly after the Big Bang as the first stars and galaxies formed.

Parsons is best known as the principal investigator of the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA), a radio telescope designed to detect faint emissions from neutral hydrogen in the early universe. His work blends astrophysics, engineering, and data science to explore the origins and growth of cosmic structure.

An expert in observational cosmology and low-frequency radio astronomy, Parsons is a professor in the Department of Astronomy at UC Berkeley and the Faculty Director of the Radio Astronomy Lab (RAL). His work is supported by the National Science Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

Research Expertise and Interest

cosmic reionization, experimental cosmology, radio interferometry, digital signal processing, observational astrophysics