Jenny Greene (born October 9, 1978) is an Astrophysicist and Professor of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University. She is notable for her work on supermassive black holes and the galaxies in which they reside. Her work also involves a partnership with the Princeton Gravity Initiative and as co-founder and academic advisor to the Prison Teaching Initiative (PTI) at Princeton University.[1] [2]
In 2000, Greene received a B.S in astronomy and physics (summa cum laude) from Yale University. She then attended Harvard for her Ph.D in Astronomy, her thesis entitled The Growth of Black Holes: From Primordial Seeds to Local Demographics.[3]
After her post-doctoral fellowship at Princeton, she became an Assistant Professor of Astronomy at UT Austin for a year. Since 2011, she has been a faculty member of the Astrophysical Sciences department at Princeton and is currently a professor of astrophysics.[4]
Her broad research interests include measurements of black hole masses, the connection between supermassive black holes and galaxies, stellar and gas kinematics of galactic nuclei, and diffuse light in galaxy clusters. A recent study from 2022, "The Nature of Low-surface-brightness Galaxies in the Hyper Suprime-Cam Survey"[5] highlights Greene's research contributions in utilizing innovations in imaging technology for an intensive study in the ability to distinguish and identify low-surface-brightness galaxies.
The PTI provides college-level education and other educational opportunities, such as research experiences for undergraduate students, to the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated in New Jersey correctional facilities. Greene has been involved in the effort and growth of the PTI as a post-doc fellow at Princeton since its founding in 2005 and as academic advisor of the program in 2017, when REUs through PTI began.