CHICAGO (AP) — Trustees of Chicago’s Adler Planetarium have chosen astrophysicist Michelle Larson to be the institution’s next president.

Larson will be the ninth president of Adler and the first woman to hold the job. Her election was announced Tuesday evening. She starts in the position on Jan. 1. Larson succeeds Paul Knappenberger, who is retiring Dec. 31 after 21 years.

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Larson will take the helm of a space science center that includes a museum, exhibition galleries, three theaters, research enterprise and an outreach and education program. The Adler says it has more than 470,000 visitors a year.