A Social Network Analysis of JWST General Observer Programs: The Emergence of a Decentralized Heterarchy

Abstract

Developing proposals to execute programs on space telescopes involves networks of astronomers coalescing around ideas and plans for observations. When aggregated, these program level networks allow a collective structure of the overall social network of astronomers using a telescope to be created and analysed. We do this using program level investigator data over the first five cycles of accepted General Observer (GO) programs on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The aggregate network contains 5252 unique astronomers with 144740 connections between them based on their program level participation. We apply a modularity class coefficient to visualize the sub communities that evolved within the aggregate network. Ten dominant sub communities emerge that are shown to correlate at various levels with the JWST scientific categories as defined by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). These sub communities vary in size as well as diversity of countries and institutions represented. Analysis of the research interests of investigators within sub communities reveals that separation along the long axis of the graph is associated with the scale of science performed at community level (AU scale vs kpc Gpc scale). While the social network structures based on institutional affiliation and country of institution are highly centralized, the aggregate network at the investigator level is highly heterarchical and decentralized. It appears to be supportive of cross disciplinary interaction, and institutionalized integration between planetary system and cosmic structure science that is wide and redundant, rather than mediated by a small set of critical brokers. Results have implications for access policy (time allocation processes on telescopes leaving behind a legacy of heterarchical social networks) and access strategy (astronomer need to access networks before accessing telescopes).