Donald E. Brownlee

Donald Eugene Brownlee (born December 21, 1943) is a professor of astronomy at the University of Washington (Seattle) and the principal investigator for NASA's Stardust mission. His primary research interests include astrobiology, comets, and cosmic dust. He was born in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Education and employment

Brownlee studied electrical engineering at University of California, Berkeley, prior to attending graduate school at the University of Washington. Brownlee received his doctorate in astronomy from the University of Washington in 1971, joining the Astronomy Department as faculty in 1975. He has also conducted research as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Enrico Fermi Institute at the University of Chicago. Brownlee is co-author with paleontologist Peter Ward of two books, Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe and The Life and Death of Planet Earth.

Honors

In 1991, Asteroid 3259 was named after Brownlee. Also, the International Mineralogical Association has named a new mineral in honor of Donald Brownlee. This new mineral—brownleeite—is the first mineral found from a comet. He has been awarded the J. Lawrence Smith Medal from the National Academy of Sciences, the Leonard Medal from the Meteoritical Society, and the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement in 2007. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.