Marie Levine

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About

Dr. Marie Levine is a leading figure in space-based high-contrast imaging, with her core research centered on coronagraph design and wavefront control for exoplanet direct detection. Her most significant contribution is her pivotal role in the Astrophysics Focused Telescope Assets (AFTA) study, where she championed the integration of a stellar coronagraph onto what would become the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Despite widespread skepticism that the telescope’s complex pupil geometry—featuring a large central obstruction—would preclude high-contrast performance, Dr. Levine’s innovative optical designs and rigorous simulations proved it feasible. Her seminal 2013 paper, "The AFTA Coronagraph Instrument" (13 citations), laid the technical groundwork for Roman’s Coronagraph Instrument, a technology demonstrator that will directly image Jupiter-like exoplanets. This work has been instrumental in advancing NASA’s exoplanet exploration roadmap, influencing the design of future missions like the Habitable Worlds Observatory. Dr. Levine’s perseverance in overcoming optical challenges has earned her recognition as a key architect of the next generation of space telescopes, enabling humanity’s first direct look at potentially habitable worlds.