Anna Frebrel

Anna Frebel is Professor of Physics and Division Head for Astrophysics in the MIT School of Science. An observational astronomer and astrophysicist, Prof. Frebel is best known for her discoveries and spectroscopic analyses of the oldest, most metal-poor stars in the Milky Way and small dwarf galaxies (“stellar and dwarf galaxy archaeology”) to explore the chemical and physical conditions of the early universe. Anna’s experience teaching women’s leadership to showcase her skills and experience in this area in addition to her expertise in science.


She has received numerous honors and awards, including the 2010 Annie Jump Cannon Award (American Astronomical Society), a 2013 CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation, and in 2016 she was named one of Science News Magazine's “Ten Scientists to Watch.” She was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2018 and to full Professor in 2022.

Prof. Frebel has authored more than 120 papers in various refereed journals, including Nature. She also enjoys communicating science to the public through regular public lectures, magazine articles, interviews as well as her popular science book “Searching for the oldest stars: Ancient Relics from the Early Universe” (Princeton University Press).