Quanzhi Ye

My name is Quanzhi Ye. I go by Quanzhi or QZ for short. I am a planetary astronomer at the University of Maryland. Currently I am also holding a Visiting Researcher appointment at Boston University.

I am primarily interested in the small bodies of the solar system – namely asteroids, comets, and meteoroids. I use a wide range of techniques to study these intriguing bodies. I have used the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar to study meteor showers, as well as the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) project at Palomar Observatory to find near-Earth asteroids and comets. I also help maintain the NASA Planetary Data System Small Bodies Node.

I was captivated by the stars when I was a child. Nowadays I still enjoy going out for stargazing every once in a while. Besides stars, I also like music. I play violin, viola and cello in various orchestras and string ensembles as I move from China to Canada and then the US. Most recently, I played viola and cello in Caltech’s wonderful Chamber Music program.