Priya ke saath Astrophysics ki baat

Our guest today, Priyamvada Natarajan, is a Professor in the Departments of Astronomy and Physics at Yale University while also holding a lifetime appointment as an Honorary Professor at the University of Delhi, India.

Professor Natarajan arrived in the United States from New Delhi to pursue her undergraduate studies in Physics and Mathematics at MIT. After going on to complete her Masters degree in the MIT Program in Science, Technology and Society, she got her PhD in theoretical astrophysics from the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge in England. She was the first woman in Astrophysics to be elected a fellow of Trinity College.

As a theoretical astrophysicist, she is interested in cosmology, gravitational lensing and black hole physics. Her research is focused on exotica in the Universe - dark matter, dark energy and black holes. She is noted for her key contributions to two of the most challenging problems in cosmology:  mapping the distribution of dark matter and tracing the growth history of black holes.  She is deeply invested in the public dissemination of science, a fervent proponent of numerical literacy, and is also a published poet. She has written for the New York Review of Books, CNN, Washington Post, The Huffington Post and her research has been featured in many news outlets including the BBC, CNN and most international newspapers and media.

Priya is the recipient of many awards and honors in the US and India and it is an honor for us to have her on our show.