Dr. Jean Chiar is a full-time Professor of Astronomy, Astronomy department co-lead, and co-Director of DVC’s Planetarium facility. She teaches online, hybrid, and in-person classes.
Dr. Chiar spent 20 years as a research astrophysicist at NASA Ames and the SETI Institute and 12 year as part-time astronomy faculty at San Jose City College before arriving at DVC. She holds a PhD, MS, and BS in physics, concentrating in astronomy and astrophysics, from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Dr. Chiar is passionate about making astronomy accessible to all students, regardless of their future education or career goals. She is also a supportive mentor of students wishing to pursue astronomy and astrophysics beyond DVC’s coursework. Dr. Chiar supports joint projects with MESA such as organizing field trips to Lick Observatory in San Jose and hosting planetarium shows during International STEM day.
Outside of her professional life, Dr. Chiar enjoys trail running, horseback riding, and cooking.