Joseph E. Pesce is a Program Director at the NSF, Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences, Division of Astronomical Sciences. An Astrophysicist with 30 years of experience, his primary area of interest is in the external environments of galaxies hosting super massive black holes.
Dr. Pesce is currently a Program Director at the National Science Foundation, Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences, Division of Astronomical Sciences; a Part-time Professor at George Mason University; and a Visiting Professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He founded, and served as CEO of Omnis, Inc., a firm specializing in high-level science and technology consulting and training, and of Creative Thinking Solutions International, LLC, a company focusing on critical thinking and problem solving for educational organizations. He is an expert in critical & creative thinking, analytic methodology, STEM issues, and interdisciplinary research. He is a thought leader in the field of leadership education.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society; serves on the Board of Advisors of The Presidents Leadership Class at the University of Colorado, Boulder; is a member of Peterhouse, Cambridge; the American Astronomical Society (AAS); the High Energy Astrophysics Division (AAS); the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Sigma Pi Sigma; the Cambridge Philosophical Society; the American Institute of Physics; and the Cosmos Club (Washington DC). He was a recipient of the prestigious Isaac Newton Studentship from Cambridge University; a Presidents Leadership Scholar at the University of Colorado, Boulder; and served on the Board of Directors of the Animal Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA).
Dr. Pesce received a B.A. degree (cum laude and with Honors) in Physics from the University of Colorado in Boulder, and his M.Sc., M.Phil., and Ph.D. degrees from Cambridge University (Peterhouse) and the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy.
Dr. Pesce other interests include interspecies communication, non-human intelligence, and psychology. Combining a love of history, art, and science, he conducts art-history research and collects art, antiquarian books, and antique furniture.