Hans Zinnecker (DSI)
Science Mission Operations Deputy Director
hzinnecker@sofia.usra.edu

Hans Zinnecker, a well-known astrophysicist from Germany with a broad theoretical and observational background in the field of star formation, is the SOFIA Science Mission Operations Deputy Director. Zinnecker, a world-leading expert in young stars and their initial mass function, covers a vast spectrum in both high-mass and low-mass star formation, including binaries, disks, jets, and exoplanets. He has contributed to many topical international conferences and meetings and served on many international committees (e.g. ESO, ESA, EC, IAU). He was the President of IAU Commission 26 on binary stars, and has been a member of several international astronomy prize selection panels.

As SOFIA Mission Operations Deputy Director, Zinnecker co-directs SOFIA's overall scientific mission and is responsible for the Observatory's productivity. He also represents the German interests in both SOFIA's science and management, and is responsible for the US-based staff of the Deutsches SOFIA Institute. Amongst his various challenges is his hope to convert Herschel users to SOFIA users.