Duane Lee on Clubhouse

Bio

I’m Dr. Duane M. Lee and I’m the second Black American to receive a PhD in Astronomy from Columbia University (behind Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson) and the first admitted directly to the program. My research focused on studying the formation and evolution of (dwarf) galaxies by modeling the chemical composition of stars and gas in those galaxies over time—a field I first referred to as Galactic Genealogy (back in 2008). My studies have taken me to 3 post-doc positions: (1) Shanghai Astronomical Observatory in Shanghai, China, (2) Fisk and Vanderbilt Universities in Nashville, Tennessee, and (3) M.I.T. in Cambridge, Massachusetts. During my time as an academic researcher I’ve published two first-authored papers out of seven research papers in astrophysics.

Currently, I’ve transferred some of my research skills to tech where I devote most of my time to Data Engineering and some of my efforts to Data Science at Starburst Data in Boston, Massachusetts. My work there involves helping large companies increase their ability to access and analyze their siloed data via our SaaS solution Trino (formerly PrestoSQL) and to track our interactions, product usage, and growth with customers by analyzing our customer interactions in SalesForce.

More broadly, I continue to seek knowledge in the areas of Data Science and Engineering and I entertain the possibility of broadening my communication of Astronomy beyond the reach of just my friends and family in my post-academic career.

At my core, I believe in the power of science and possible opportunities created from good governance. My passions are in the joy and camaraderie of singing/karaoke, empathy, dancing, science and tech, and hanging out with good friends new and old alike!

I currently live in the West End area of Boston, MA and I’m originally from Pittsfield, MA in the Berkshires.