Bob Blum

Acting Director Vera C. Rubin Observatory Operations

Bob Blum transitioned to Acting Director for Rubin Observatory Operations in October, 2018 after 21 years at NOAO, where he was Deputy Director for 10 years. Blum’s research interest is large survey science with a focus on studies of the Milky Way and Local Volume. Prior to his role as Deputy Director, Blum spent 10 years at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile as a staff astronomer. He joined NOAO after completing a Hubble Fellowship at the University of Colorado where he worked on near infrared studies of massive stars and star clusters. Blum received his PhD from Ohio State University and holds a BS and MSc in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the University of Washington. Blum is a member of the American Astronomical Society and the International Astronomical Union.