Alex Teachey didn’t take a single science class in college. At least, not the first time.
A few years after getting a theater degree, Teachey started a casual blog surrounding his interest in astronomy. It gained a surprising number of followers, enough for him to consider being a science teacher. So he went back to school for physics and worked as a research assistant in astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History.
“That’s where I just got hooked,” he said.
Teachey now has a Ph.D. in astronomy and astrophysics but still considers his theater background an influential part of his career. He contributed regularly to the Weekly Space Hangout podcast and for years cohosted Astronomy on Tap in New York City.
“Communication is a huge part of our field. If you don’t get the word out, it might as well not have happened.”
“Communication is a huge part of our field,” Teachey said. Like a tree falling in the woods, “if you don’t get the word out, it might as well not have happened.”
As a grad student, Teachey led work on the first possible detection of an exomoon. The project netted significant media coverage, and his background in the performing arts prepared him to speak with the press.
He continued prioritizing science communication while searching for exomoons as a postdoc at Academica Sinica in Taipei, Taiwan. He helped lead the Taiwan chapter of Astronomy on Tap and led popular sessions on performance techniques for scientists.
Having moved across the world for his postdoc, Teachey now plans to shift careers again to stay in Taipei. He might work in coding. Or maybe science communication. But he’ll always be an astronomer, he said, just like he’ll always be an actor.
—J. Besl (@J_Besl), Science Writer
29 July 2025: This article has been updated to correct Teachey’s involvement with Astronomy on Tap.
This profile is part of a special series in our August 2025 issue on science careers.