Headshot of Cullen Blake, male, reddish brown hair, blue button-down plaid shirt.

Cullen Blake

Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Education

  • Ph.D. (2009) • Astronomy • Harvard University
  • A.M. (2006) • Astronomy • Harvard University
  • A.B. (2003) • Astrophysics • Princeton University

Current Position

  • Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania
  • Co-PI of MINERVA project
  • Co-I of NEID project

The MINERVA telescopes are a set of five 0.7-meter robotic telescopes located at Mt. Hopkins, Arizona. Here, one telescope is shown open in its white, fiberglass, clam-shell dome. The telescope is approximately seven feet tall. Additional MINERVA telescopes and the Santa Rita mountains are visible in the background.
The MINERVA telescopes are a set of five 0.7-meter robotic telescopes located at Mt. Hopkins, Arizona. Here, one telescope is shown open in its white, fiberglass, clam-shell dome. The telescope is approximately seven feet tall. Additional MINERVA telescopes and the Santa Rita mountains are visible in the background.

Technology Interests

  • Extreme Precision Radial Velocity Spectrometers
  • Ultra-stable CCD detector systems
  • Low-cost NIR detector technologies
  • Photonic instrumentation
  • Technologies for atmospheric water vapor metrology
  • Robotic ground-based telescopes
  • New algorithms for analyzing high-resolution optical spectra

Goals and Aspirations

  • Develop instruments to help maximize the science produced by small telescopes
  • Pursue technologies that help lower the cost and complexity of astronomical instruments
  • Extremely Precise Radial Velocity Spectrometers
  • Involve more undergraduates in astronomy research
  • Inspire undergraduates in introductory physics and astronomy courses to love science