Ray Villard Information

News Director
Space Telescope Science Institute
USA

Biography:
Ray Villard is news director for the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), where he translates Hubble's discoveries into stories for the media and public. He has specialized in communicating astronomy since 1974 and received several NASA service awards for his contribution to publicizing Hubble science results.

Villard was previously associate editor for the popular magazine Astronomy. He has written a variety of freelance articles for magazines, encyclopedias and Internet blogs, and scripts for several syndicated science programs on public radio.

In 2004, Villard published an illustrated astronomy book on the discovery of extrasolar planets entitled Infinite Worlds. Villard co-wrote a video adaption of the book for the National Geographic Channel. That program, Alien Earth's, was nominated for the 2010 Prime Time Emmy Awards.