FOUNDER

Dr. Aomawa Shields is an astronomer, astrobiologist, actor, and writer. She received her PhD in Astronomy and Astrobiology from the University of Washington in 2014. Dr. Shields received an MFA in Acting from UCLA in 2001, and a Bachelor's degree in Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences from MIT in 1997.

In 2015, as a Postdoc at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and UCLA, Shields founded Rising Stargirls by collaborating with middle schools in the LA area. She continues these workshops as a Professor at UC Irvine’s Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Shields is currently a Clare Boothe Luce Associate Professor at the University of California, Irvine. She uses her theater and writing background to communicate science to the public in engaging, innovative ways.

Watch Dr. Shields' TED talk featuring Rising Stargirls!