Jane Rigby

Jane R. Rigby is an American astrophysicist who works at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) as Senior Project Scientist of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). She has frequently made public appearances and is known for her association with the telescope. She has also worked to support inclusivity in science. In 2024, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden.

Originally from Seaford, Delaware, Rigby received a bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania State University, followed by a master's degree and PhD from the University of Arizona. In 2010, Rigby joined GSFC as the deputy operations project scientist of the planned JWST, which had been facing cost and schedule issues. She became the operations project scientist in 2018, which involved assessing the success of the telescope after its 2021 launch. She was involved in the publication of its first results and the release of its first images. In 2023, she succeeded John C. Mather as the telescope's senior project scientist. Provided by Wikipedia