Jill Tarter is director of the Center for SETI Research. She holds a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of California at Berkeley. Among the recognitions she has achieved are two public service medals from NASA, a slot as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, a 2009 TED Prize, and election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Tarter has published many scientific papers and lectures to both technical and non-technical audiences.