Sandra Faber
Sandra Faber (born December 28, 1944) is a pioneering American astrophysicist whose work on galaxy formation, dark matter, and telescope instrumentation has shaped modern cosmology. Learn about her life, discoveries, and legacy below.
Introduction
Sandra Moore Faber is an American astrophysicist and astronomer whose research has played a foundational role in how we understand galaxies, dark matter, and the large-scale structure of the universe. Born December 28, 1944, she has been instrumental in both theoretical advances (such as the Faber–Jackson relation) and building powerful observational tools (e.g. her involvement in the Keck telescopes, Hubble instrumentation). Over her long career she has earned many of the field’s top honors. This article presents her biography, major contributions, philosophy, and lessons from her career.
Early Life and Education
Sandra Faber was born as Sandra Moore in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 28, 1944. She completed high school in Pittsburgh.
She earned a B.A. in Physics (with minors in astronomy and mathematics) from Swarthmore College in 1966. Faber then went on to do her doctoral studies in astronomy at Harvard University, completing her Ph.D. in 1972. Her PhD thesis was titled Photometry of elliptical galaxies in multiple systems.
During her graduate years, she worked with observational facilities such as Kitt Peak National Observatory, facing limitations in instrumentation that shaped her later commitment to developing better telescopes.
Career and Key Contributions
Early Academic Appointment & Galaxy Research
After earning her PhD, Sandra Faber joined the staff at the Lick Observatory (University of California Santa Cruz), becoming in 1972 the first woman on the staff there.
One of her earliest major scientific results came in 1976, when Faber and Robert Jackson formulated what became known as the Faber–Jackson relation, a correlation between the luminosity of an elliptical galaxy and the velocity dispersion of its stars. This relation is analogous (for elliptical galaxies) to the Tully–Fisher relation for spiral galaxies, and it provided crucial insight into galaxy dynamics and mass estimation.
In 1979, she and collaborator John S. Gallagher produced a comprehensive review of evidence for dark matter within galaxies, helping shift consensus toward the view that a significant fraction of mass in galaxies is “missing” (non-luminous).
By 1983, Faber and collaborators (George Blumenthal, Joel Primack, Martin Rees) played a central role in developing the cold dark matter framework for structure formation in the universe (i.e., dark matter as slow-moving particles, not fast neutrinos).
Instrumentation & Observational Infrastructure
Beyond theory, Faber was deeply engaged in building the tools of astronomy:
-
She was an early advocate for and contributor to the design and realization of the Keck telescopes (10-meter segmented-mirror telescopes on Mauna Kea, Hawaii).
-
She co-chaired the Science Steering Committee of Keck and pushed for high optical quality and instrumentation.
-
Faber also helped on the Wide-Field Camera instrument for the Hubble Space Telescope. After Hubble’s initial optical problem (spherical aberration), she participated in diagnosing and planning corrections to recover its imaging performance.
-
She led and contributed to the development of the DEIMOS spectrograph on Keck, a high-throughput instrument enabling deep galaxy spectroscopy.
Large Surveys, Galaxy Evolution & Black Holes
Faber’s later work spans a wide range of observational cosmology and galaxy studies:
-
She was part of the Seven Samurai collaboration, which studied peculiar motions of galaxies and contributed to understanding large-scale flows (e.g., toward the “Great Attractor”).
-
She led the Nuker Team, using Hubble data to study central structures of galaxies and probe the presence of supermassive black holes at galaxy cores.
-
Her group works on disentangling age, metallicity, and mass-to-light ratios of stellar populations in elliptical galaxies.
-
She is involved in DEEP (Deep Extragalactic Evolutionary Probe) and other surveys using Keck and Hubble, probing galaxy formation across cosmic time.
At UCSC, she attained the rank of University Professor, one of the highest academic titles, recognizing her cross-disciplinary and institution-wide contributions.
In 2012, she served as Interim Director of University of California Observatories.
Recognition & Awards
Sandra Faber’s contributions have been acknowledged by many of science’s highest honors:
-
Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics (1985)
-
Elected to National Academy of Sciences (1985)
-
Bruce Medal (Astronomical Society of the Pacific) (2012)
-
National Medal of Science (2011)
-
Gruber Prize in Cosmology (2017)
-
Bower Award and Prize in Achievement in Science (Franklin Institute, 2009)
-
Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (2020)
-
Magellanic Premium (2018) awarded by the American Philosophical Society
Also, a minor planet has been named in her honor: (283277) Faber.
She has been co-editor of the Annual Review of Astronomy & Astrophysics from 2012 to 2021.
Personality, Philosophy & Influence
Sandra Faber is known not only for scientific acumen but also for bridging instrumentation, observations, and theory. She understands that breakthroughs often arise when technology catches up to curiosity.
She has often emphasized the importance of building better telescopes and detectors, not just analyzing data, to push the frontiers of discovery.
In public talks and interviews, she sometimes reflects on cosmic perspective: what the universe’s structure tells us about origins, human existence, and how we perceive ourselves in vast time and space. (For instance, her conversations on the future of Earth and the constraints of physical laws show she thinks broadly about science, society, and resources.)
As an early woman in the male-dominated field of astronomy, she also contributed to opening paths for women scientists, serving as a role model for mentorship and institutional leadership.
Lessons from Sandra Faber’s Career
-
Interdisciplinary balance — Her success lies in combining theoretical insight, observational rigor, and instrument-building.
-
Vision for tools — Often, progress depends not just on ideas, but enabling technologies to test them.
-
Persistence and leadership — Overcoming institutional and technical challenges across decades in astronomy.
-
Mentorship & collaboration — She has long-standing collaborations and supported many students, sustaining scientific communities.
-
Thinking big — Her career shows that to understand galaxies, one must also grapple with the universe’s structure, dark matter, and cosmology’s deepest questions.
(Partial) Notable Quotes
While Sandra Faber is less known for pithy quotes than for deep scientific discourse, here are some excerpts and paraphrases attributed to her that capture her thinking:
-
In discussing the universe and human place:
“From astronomical perspective, it tells us where we came from, and where in the universe we might go.” (paraphrased)
-
On using physics to think about societal challenges: she has discussed entropy, resource constraints, and the limits imposed by physical laws in dialogues about economics and sustainability.
-
On questioning: her approach suggests that the unknown is a powerful arena; be bold in conjecture, but anchor in evidence.
Conclusion
Sandra Faber is a towering figure in modern astrophysics. Her work ranges from the luminous relations of galaxies to the dark, invisible scaffolding of dark matter; from writing the rules of cosmic structure to nurturing the telescopes that make discovery possible. Her career bridges theory, observation, and instrument design in a way few others have.
Her legacy is evident not just in the discoveries she led, but in the generations of astronomers she inspired and the tools she helped build.