William Gottemoller

Nice to meet you! I am currently a third-year undergraduate at Harvard University, studying astrophysics and physics. Born and raised in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, I spent most of my childhood obsessed with astronomy. When I began high school, I joined the Milwaukee Astronomical Society, an astronomy organization of ~ 400 members that promotes astronomy in Southeast Wisconsin and conducts observations at its world-class amateur observatory in New Berlin, Wisconsin. As a member of the Milwaukee Astronomical Society, I fell in love with astronomy through science communication. Since then, I have dedicated my career goals to advancing astronomy – not just through research, but inspiring others about astronomy.

Gottemoller et al. (2026)

  At Harvard, I conduct research alongside Kim-Vy Tran and the ASTRO3D Galaxy Evolution With Lenses (AGEL) Survey, where I investigate the role of large-scale environment in gravitational lensing. My contributions have resulted in two published co-authored papers and one lead author paper. In addition, I have held summer positions at the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA) in Taipei, Taiwan. There, I work with Lihwai Lin and the ALMA-MaNGA Quenching and Star Formation (ALMaQUEST) Survey to examine how active galactic nuclei (AGN) and large-scale environment quench star formation in nearby galaxies. See the Research page for more information on my research work and publications.

 My excitement for astronomy began when science communicators introduced me to the cosmos. Now that I am an astronomer and science communicator myself, I hope to inspire the same excitement in everyone I share astronomy with. I also believe that astronomy is a potent agent for hope – especially now – as well as a gateway science for many future scientists. Since 2020, I have given dozens of talks in three continents to people from first graders to the elderly. My talks cover many exciting topics in astronomy – new research on our models of the universe, my research with gravitational lensing, the scientific process, solar eclipses, and astronomical observing – and are designed for people of all ages and levels of background knowledge. For lists and recordings of past talks, visit the Outreach section of this website.

For astronomy event / talk inquiries, please email williamgottemoller[at]gmail.com.

When I am not doing research or talking about astronomy, I love to hike and climb mountains, spend time with friends and family, write, read, travel, and go to dark sites to observe distant galaxies with my 12" Dobsonian telescope. I have climbed 37 of the 48 highest peaks in New Hampshire, and I am getting started on the 百岳 (the 100 3000+ meter peaks of Taiwan)! To me, the mountains and the night sky demonstrate how small we are and how important it is that we preserve our remaining dark skies and undisturbed natural sanctuaries. 

Although I live in Cambridge, MA, now, I still call my hometown of Menomonee Falls, WI, home. There, I spend much of my time with my friends, storm chasing with my dad, rock climbing with my sister, and gabbing / exploring new places with my mom.