Amy J. Barger (born January 18, 1971) is an American astronomer. Barger earned a B.A. in Astronomy-Physics in 1993 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Ph.D. in Astronomy in 1997 from King's College, University of Cambridge where she was a Marshall scholar. Her discoveries have most concerned quasars, black holes, and other far distant objects. She helped show that the activity of black holes in nearby galaxies was greater and more recent than expected. She also worked with others on discoveries concerning stellar activity in distant galaxies. She currently is a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and is a member of the International Astronomical Union.