Adam Frank

Adam Frank is an American astrophysicist and science communicator, holding the Helen F. and Fred H. Gowen Professorship in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Rochester . His research centers on computational astrophysics , with a focus on hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic simulations of stellar evolution , particularly the final stages of stars similar to the Sun, as well as gas dynamics in astrophysical environments. Frank has authored several books that bridge technical astrophysics with broader existential questions, including About Time: Cosmology and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang , Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth , and The Little Book of Aliens , the latter examining evidence for extraterrestrial intelligence through empirical lenses like the Drake Equation . For his efforts in science communication, he received the Carl Sagan Medal and the American Physical Society's Joseph Burton Forum Award in 2020. As a co-founder of NPR's 13.7: Cosmos and Culture blog and contributor to outlets like The Atlantic and The New York Times , Frank advocates for rigorous, data-driven discussions on topics ranging from astrobiology to humanity's technological footprint on Earth .

Adam Frank grew up in Belleville, New Jersey , during the 1970s in a predominantly Italian and Irish blue-collar community near Newark, characterized by post-immigration diversity and industrial grit. As the only Jewish child in his school from an atheist family—whose stepfather served as a civil rights leader and the state's sole African American legislator at the time—he navigated anti-Semitism and racial tensions, often through physical confrontations in a tough neighborhood environment. These experiences fostered an innate wariness of unsubstantiated claims and scams prevalent in his surroundings, a trait that later underpinned his scientific rigor.

His fascination with astronomy emerged at age five, ignited by his father's collection of science fiction pulp magazines and books depicting spaceships, moons, and aliens, which he accessed late at night in the family library. This early exposure extended to reruns of Star Trek , low-budget sci-fi films, and documentaries, cultivating an obsession with extraterrestrial life ; by childhood, he could recite the speed of light to four decimal places. Trips to Manhattan's Hayden Planetarium further deepened this passion, transforming abstract cosmic wonders into tangible pursuits.

A defining formative event occurred around age eleven when Frank encountered Erich von Däniken's Chariots of the Gods? , a pseudoscientific work alleging ancient alien visitations, only for a PBS NOVA documentary to dismantle its claims through empirical scrutiny. This episode crystallized the necessity of skepticism and evidence in discerning truth from speculation, a principle he credits with shaping his approach to science amid New Jersey's culture of hustles and half-truths.

Frank earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado Boulder . He subsequently pursued graduate studies in physics at the University of Washington , obtaining a Master of Science in 1990 and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1992. His doctoral research focused on astrophysical topics, aligning with his later specialization in computational astrophysics and stellar dynamics .

Frank earned his PhD in physics from the University of Washington in 1992. Following his doctorate, he held postdoctoral and visiting scientist positions at Leiden University in the Netherlands and the University of Minnesota . In 1995, he received a NASA Hubble Fellowship, supporting advanced research in astrophysics .

In 1996, Frank joined the University of Rochester as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2000 and to full Professor in 2004. He currently holds the Helen F. and Fred H. Gowen Professorship in the department.