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After I left Redwood, I went to Stanford until '74 and majored in math, and then to Lick Observatory (UC Santa Cruz), where I got my PhD in '80 in astronomy. My first job was as a postdoc the University of Washington. I then became a Carnegie Fellow at the Mt. Wilson and Palomar Observatories in Pasadena before moving to La Serena, Chile, to work as a research astronomer in '86. I lived in Chile for over 20 years, working at the US National Optical Observatory. I became the Director of Science for the US National Observatories in the US and Chile.
In '06, I moved to Texas A&M University to start an Astronomy Department in this public university of 80,000 students. To retain some sanity living here in East Texas, in 2010, I went on leave in Washington, D.C., working at the Department of State as a National Academy Senior Science Fellow in the Office of Human Rights, where I was a Humanitarian Affairs Officer. In 2012, I returned to my job at A&M but remained a consultant in the Human Rights Office until it was closed by Trump. I was elected a University Distinguished Professor in 2013 and a Regents Professor of the Texas A&M University System in 2016. I retired as emeritus in 2024.
My research is in cosmology. In 1994, my group discovered a method for measuring precise distances to the farthest galaxies, using exploding stars that can be seen 90% of the way to the edge of the Universe. We were able to measure the most accurate value of the expansion of the Universe - the "Hubble constant." In 1998, another group I started discovered that the Universe is speeding up its expansion and not slowing down. Einstein predicted this effect in 1917 as part of his theories of relativity; he never really took it seriously, but never discounted that it could exist. It is now called Dark Energy and makes up 73% of the Universe. We have no idea what physics is causing it, and it remains the biggest mystery in the physical sciences. Strangely, we can only see 0.5% of the Universe, and the rest is darkness.
On October 4, 2011, two of my collaborators from the group I began in 1993, Brian Schmidt and Adam Riess, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for our discovery of the acceleration of the Universe.
I have one daughter, Larissa, who graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She majored in International Relations and Spanish. She married Patrick McMahon, a Texan from Mason, Texas, who grew up on a ranch in West Texas. He has a master's degree in agricultural economics and entomology.
As of March 2024, I have become emeritus and retired. While I miss California and Marin, my family is all here in College Station, so here I stay. I now have cowboy boots for formal events (the boots are surprisingly comfortable). I have an urban cowboy hat like LJB wore, which is a retirement party gift, but I am too shy to wear it. You know the phrase in Texas: "All hat, no cow."
