Stony Brook University to Host First NASA Hubble Fellow: Konstantinos Kritos

STONY BROOK, NY-March 25, 2026-The State University of New York at Stony Brook (Stony Brook University) has been chosen as the host of a NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Hubble Fellow: Konstantinos Kritos, a PhD student from Johns Hopkins University. The fellowship will support Kritos' research program "Unveiling the mystery of massive black hole seeds through gravitational and electromagnetic waves." Stony Brook University Professor Rosalba Perna will serve as Kritos' faculty contact. Kritos is the first NHFP fellow to be hosted by Stony Brook University.

Kritos is a theoretical and computational astrophysicist whose research focuses on the formation and evolution of black holes and their observable signatures through gravitational waves. In particular, his work centers on modeling dense star clusters using semi-analytic and population synthesis methods to study how binary black holes form, merge, and produce detectable signals. He also applies statistical and machine learning techniques to infer the properties of star clusters from gravitational-wave observations and develops models for the growth of massive and supermassive black holes. Overall, his research aims to connect astrophysical theory with gravitational-wave data to better understand black hole populations and cosmic structure formation.

Kritos' fellowship will begin on September 1, 2026 and the appointment will run for three years. NASA's Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) will fund this research by awarding a grant to Stony Brook University.

Professor Perna said, "I am delighted that Kostantinos Kritos has chosen Stony Brook University as the place to conduct their research supported by the NASA Hubble fellowship, and I am looking forward to several years of exciting collaborative research on a variety of timely topics in theoretical astrophysics."

The STScI is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy and helps humanity explore the universe with advanced space telescopes and ever-growing data archives. Established in 1981, the STScI helps guide the most famous observatory in history, the Hubble Space Telescope. Since its launch in 1990, this agency has performed the science operations for Hubble and also leads the science and mission operations for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which launched on December 25, 2021. The Institute performs parts of the science operations for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, in formulation for launch in late 2026, and is partnering on several other NASA missions. The STScI staff conducts world-class scientific research; including the Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST) which curates and disseminates data from over 20 astronomical missions; and they bring science to the world through internationally recognized news, education, and public outreach programs.

To view the official NASA release, please visit here.

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About the State University of New York at Stony Brook (Stony Brook University)

The State University of New York at Stony Brook is New York's flagship university and No. 1 public university. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. With more than 27,000 students, more than 3,000 faculty members, more than 225,000 alumni, a premier academic healthcare system and 18 NCAA Division I athletic programs, Stony Brook is a research-intensive distinguished center of innovation dedicated to addressing the world's biggest challenges. The university embraces its mission to provide comprehensive undergraduate, graduate and professional education of the highest quality, and is ranked as the #59 overall university and #26 among public universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges listing. Fostering a commitment to academic research and intellectual endeavors, Stony Brook's membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU) places it among the top 71 research institutions in North America. The university's distinguished faculty have earned esteemed awards such as the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Indianapolis Prize for animal conservation, Abel Prize, Fields Medal, Breakthrough prizes in mathematics and physics, and MacArthur Fellows Genius Grants. Stony Brook has the responsibility of co-managing Brookhaven National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy - one of only eight universities with a role in running a national laboratory. In 2023, Stony Brook was named the anchor institution for The New York Climate Exchange on Governors Island in New York City. Providing economic growth for neighboring communities and the wider geographic region, the university totals an impressive $8.93 billion in increased economic output on Long Island. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stonybrooku/ and X@stonybrooku.