Philip F. Hopkins is the Ira S. Bowen Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where he conducts research in Space Science within the Theoretical Astrophysics group (TAPIR) in the Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy. He received a B.A. in Astrophysics from Princeton University in 2004, an M.A. in Astronomy from Harvard University in 2005, and a Ph.D. in Astronomy from Harvard University in 2008. After serving as a Miller Fellow and Einstein Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley from 2008 to 2013, Hopkins joined Caltech as Assistant Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics in 2013, becoming Associate Professor in 2016, Professor in 2017, and Ira S. Bowen Professor in 2022. He also served as Executive Officer for Astronomy from 2019 to 2022.

A leading figure in theoretical astrophysics, Hopkins specializes in the formation and evolution of galaxies, stars, black holes, and planets, investigating feedback from stars and supermassive black holes, astrophysical fluid dynamics, plasma physics, and the roles of dark matter and dark energy in cosmic structure formation. He leads the FIRE (Feedback In Realistic Environments) simulation collaboration and has developed the GIZMO multi-physics code and advanced smoothed particle hydrodynamics methods. With over 419 peer-reviewed publications garnering approximately 37,500 citations and an h-index of 102, his influential works include the Bolometric Quasar Luminosity Function (Hopkins, Richards, & Hernquist 2006) and the galaxy merger rate studies (Hopkins et al. 2009). Hopkins has received numerous honors, including the 2023 American Astronomical Society (AAS) High-Energy Astrophysics Division Mid-Career Award, Simons Investigator in Astrophysics (2023), AAS Helen B. Warner Prize (2016), NSF CAREER Award (2015), Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship (2014), and the Robert J. Trumpler Award (2011). He has contributed to grant and telescope time allocation committees, organized international conferences, refereed for top journals, and delivered public lectures and science consultations for media productions such as The Expanse and Star Trek.

Professional Email: phopkins@caltech.edu