Dr. Li-Wei Hung leads the National Park Service (NPS) night sky monitoring team, which serves all 433 national park units in the United States. Her role involves providing scientific support to superintendents and resource managers, with a focus on protecting natural night skies for the management of both natural and cultural resources, facilities, wildlife, and visitor experiences across the NPS.
Dr. Hung, an astrophysicist by training, earned her Ph.D. degree in astronomy from the University of California, Los Angeles. She also holds a B.S. degree in Physics and Astronomy from The Ohio State University.
Dr. Hung was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan, a sweet potato-shaped island in Southeast Asia full of tropical fruits and fresh seafood. She is fluent in Mandarin, Taiwanese, English, and has a basic understanding of Spanish. Outside of work, she finds joy in outdoor activities such as backpacking, camping, hiking, biking, running, and swimming. At home, her playful two-year-old boy keeps her delightfully busy beyond her work commitments.