Faculty & Staff

Faculty and Staff contact information for the Astronomy Department.

Faculty

Kim Coplin ’85

Provost and Associate Professor

Senior Administration

coplin@denison.edu

740-587-6243

Steven Doty

Professor

doty@denison.edu

740-587-5796

Dan Gibson

Professor

gibson@denison.edu

740-587-5705

Dan Homan

Professor

Director Data Analytics Program

homand@denison.edu

740-587-6742

Melanie Lott ’04

Associate Professor

Chair of Physics & Astronomy

lottm@denison.edu

740-587-8636

Steven Olmschenk

Associate Professor

The J. Reid Anderson Distinguished Professorship in Physics

olmschenks@denison.edu

740-587-8661

Riina Tehver

Professor

tehverr@denison.edu

740-587-8259

Wes Walter

Professor

walter@denison.edu

740-587-5704

Staff

Cathy Geho

Academic Administrative Assistant

gehoc@denison.edu

740-587-6223

Michael Thomas

Technical Assistant, Instrument Maker

thomasm@denison.edu

740-587-6504

Emeriti Faculty

Roderick Grant

Professor Emeritus

Rmgrant@aol.com

Lee E. Larson

Professor Emeritus

landk.larson@gmail.com

Michael Mickelson

Professor Emeritus

mickelson@denison.edu

Ronald Ross Winters

Professor Emeritus

winters@denison.edu

740-587-6227

Sandra Yorka

Professor Emeritus

yorka@denison.edu

Spotlights

Photo of a plasma jet in the blazar PKS 1424+240

Denison Magazine

Professor sheds new light on black holes

New research indicates that black holes may be the elusive source of notoriously difficult-to-trace neutrinos.

Denison Magazine

The ON Switch

Conversations with faculty about what it means to teach — and to trigger those amazing moments of illumination

Imaging a galaxy far far away

If you're a fan of 'Star Wars,' Prof. Dan Homan can talk to you about a real-life galaxy that has a 'TIE' to the blockbuster movie series.

The astrophysicist and the archeological dig

Meaghan Accarino ‘21, an astrophysicist-in-the-making, spends a summer in the earth instead of the stars.

Prof. Steve Doty, Angela Sommerer ’20, and Tran Anh Nguyen ’20

How We Learn

A Surprising New Model of Star Formation

Students study how stars are formed through data and find surprising support for a new model.

What's Happening

An auditorium-style lecture hall filled with students leaning in and actively listening to a lesson.

Lectures & Discussions

Alumni present a wide variety of perspectives in Spring 2026

Denison’s physics seminar guest speakers offer fascinating insights into careers and research opportunities.

What's Happening

Department of Physics and Astronomy announces this year’s department fellows

Selected students will host drop-in hours throughout the academic year.

Image of the plasma jet in the blazar PKS 1424+240, seen head-on. The jet is threaded by a nearly perfect toroidal magnetic field (visualized in orange), nicknamed "The Eye of Sauron"

University News

Denison astronomer part of a team solving a long-standing mystery

A stunning new image reveals the secret behind unexpectedly bright high-energy gamma-ray and neutrino emissions from a peculiar blazar.

See All

Denison appoints Alisa Rosenthal as its next Provost and Chief Academic Officer

A milestone moment for Denison

Denison seniors exercise career-building muscles at boot camp

Faculty & Staff

Faculty

Kim Coplin ’85

Steven Doty

Dan Gibson

Dan Homan

Melanie Lott ’04

Steven Olmschenk

Riina Tehver

Wes Walter

Staff

Cathy Geho

Michael Thomas

Emeriti Faculty

Roderick Grant

Lee E. Larson

Michael Mickelson

Ronald Ross Winters

Sandra Yorka

Spotlights

Professor sheds new light on black holes

The ON Switch

Imaging a galaxy far far away

The astrophysicist and the archeological dig

A Surprising New Model of Star Formation

What's Happening

Alumni present a wide variety of perspectives in Spring 2026

Department of Physics and Astronomy announces this year’s department fellows

Denison astronomer part of a team solving a long-standing mystery