Keynote Speaker

Dr. S. “Pete” Worden,

Brig. Gen., USAF, Ret, PhD

Simon Peter “Pete” Worden, (Brig Gen, USAF, Ret, PhD) is the Chairman of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation and Executive Director of the foundation’s ‘Breakthrough Initiatives’. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Michigan and a PhD in Astronomy from the University of Arizona.

Prior to joining the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, Dr. Worden was Director of NASA’s Ames Research Center until retiring on March 31, 2015. He held several positions in the United States Air Force and was research professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona. Dr. Worden has authored or co-authored over 150 scientific papers.

On July 20, 2015 at the Royal Society in London, UK, Yuri Milner and Stephen Hawking launched the Breakthrough Initiatives. At the press conference, Dr. Worden was introduced as the Chairman for the Breakthrough Prize Foundation. In this capacity he also leads the Breakthrough Initiatives as its Executive Director.

From 2017 to the present, Brigadier General Worden has been an Advisor to the Luxembourg Space Agency and was appointed as a Knight-Commander of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in 2018 for his space services.