Matthew Werneken is an astronomy doctoral student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, where he works on both astrophysical instrumentation and observational surveys to study the environments of the Milky Way galaxy and its neighbors.
Werneken aims to use this dual focus in designing the next generation of observatories on ground and in space, to solve the mysteries behind how galaxies form and evolve. He is currently working on a major new survey to map the cold gas in the halo of our galaxy and set constraints on the distribution, mass, and temperature phases of this “circumgalactic medium”. He is also supporting the design and build of an accompanying high-throughput spectrograph, which will be a cornerstone tool in measuring astrophysical transients after it is commissioned in 2027.
Werneken graduated from Columbia University with dual degrees in mechanical engineering and astrophysics in 2025. At Columbia, he started and led the team behind the LIONESS satellite mission to study complementary ionized components of the circumgalactic medium. The mission was awarded $400,000 in grant funding in its first year and will fly on a 2028 NASA launch. It has incorporated the work of more than 50 undergraduate and graduate students across institutions. His paper on LIONESS won an SPIE Paper Prize at the 2024 international meeting on Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation.
As co-president of Columbia’s largest student organization, the Columbia Space Initiative, he organized public events serving hundreds of students and aerospace enthusiasts in New York, including game shows with astronauts and live video Q&As to the International Space Station. He led the development of a new aerospace program at Columbia, designing a full academic curriculum that resulted in two tenure-track hires, new classes and facilities, and has now expanded to a full major in aerospace engineering.
Originally from the Tampa Bay area of Florida, Werneken has been recognized as a “20 Twenties” top student in aerospace, an AIAA paper competition winner, a recipient of SPIE’s top scholarship, and with Columbia Engineering’s graduate award for exceptional leadership. Matthew finds creative outlets in photography, ceramics and making pizza from scratch, and he loves cats, cookies and camping.
