Judith S. Young, professor of astronomy at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, died on May 23 after a long battle with cancer. She was 61 years old.
Dr. Young was a native of Washington, D.C. Both of her parents were scientists and her mother was an astronomer. Dr. Young was a graduate of Harvard University. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Minnesota.
She came to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1979 to conduct postdoctoral research. She was appointed assistant professor in 1984. In 1986, she was named the best young physicist in the world by the American Physical Society. She was awarded tenure and appointed to associate professor in 1989 and was named a full professor in 1993.