Dr. Kelly Holley-Bockelmann

Dr. Kelly Holley-Bockelmann is an American astrophysicist who holds the position of Stevenson Professor of Physics at Vanderbilt University. She is currently the chair of NASA's Laser Interferometer Space Antenna Study Team and the chair of NASA's Astrophysics Advisory Committee. Holley-Bockelmann is also known for her efforts to increase diversity in STEM education, particularly for her work as the director of the Fisk-Vanderbilt Bridge Program.

Dr. Holley-Bockelmann obtained her undergraduate degree in physics from Montana State University in 1993. She completed her master's degree at the University of Michigan and obtained her PhD in astronomy from the University of Michigan in 1999. After earning her doctorate, Dr. Holley-Bockelmann held positions as a postdoctoral fellow at Case Western Reserve University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and the Center of Gravitational Wave Physics at Pennsylvania State University. Her research during this time focused heavily on simulations of galaxies, black holes, and gravitational-wave science.

In 2017, Dr. Holley-Bockelmann was appointed the chair of NASA's study team for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, a joint mission between NASA and the European Space Agency. In October 2022, she was appointed the chair of NASA's Astrophysics Advisory Committee.