Alan P. Boss (born 20 July 1951, in Lakewood, Ohio) is a United States astrophysicist. Educated at the University of South Florida and the University of California, Santa Barbara, Boss is a prominent scientist in the study of extrasolar planets. He has published hundreds of articles in these areas and related fields. He is currently a Staff Member at the Carnegie Institution for Science. Boss was selected to join the NASA Science Working Group for the Kepler Mission and the NASA External Independent Readiness Board for the Exoplanet Exploration Program, both charged with the detection and characterization of nearby habitable Earth-like planets.