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About

Kevin B. Burdge is a leading astrophysicist specializing in time-domain astronomy, with a focus on robotic surveys, transient phenomena, and multi-messenger astrophysics. His major contributions include playing a pivotal role in the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), a groundbreaking robotic survey using the Palomar 48-inch Schmidt Telescope. As a key contributor to the ZTF data processing, products, and archive, his work has enabled the detection of thousands of transient events, earning over 1,170 citations. More recently, Burdge has led the commissioning and early performance characterization of the Wide-Field Infrared Transient Explorer (WINTER), a novel near-infrared time-domain survey instrument installed on a dedicated 1-meter robotic telescope at Palomar. WINTER’s primary science goal is the robotic follow-up of kilonovae from binary neutron star mergers, a critical capability for gravitational wave astrophysics. His work bridges optical and infrared time-domain surveys, advancing our ability to study explosive transients and their electromagnetic counterparts. Burdge’s achievements highlight his expertise in survey design, instrument commissioning, and data analysis, making him a key figure in the rapidly evolving field of time-domain and multi-messenger astronomy.