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Kimberly Arcand Highlight


Kimberly Arcand

Kimberly Arcand

Visualization & Emerging Tech Lead

NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

In a perfect world, everyone would have a seat at the table.

About Kimberly

  • From a young age, I knew I wanted to be a scientist and make an impact on the world.
  • As a child, I thought I wanted to be an astronaut, but quickly realized I wouldn’t be able to handle the commute to space.
  • I started off studying zoology in college but segued into molecular biology to study parasites—toward the end of my studies, I realized that I didn’t want to continue with bugs and parasites.
  • Fortunately, one of the computer science professors was very welcoming and found a place for me within the field even though I didn’t have any background or former training.
  • I still graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology, but did some postgraduate work in computer science.
  • Shortly after graduating, I got my job as the visualization and emerging tech lead for the Chandra X-ray Observatory at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and have been here for over 20 years!
  • I’ve also co-written several nonfiction popular science books.