Priyamvada Natarajan: An Indian Named in Time’s Most Influential List

Priyamvada Natarajan, an astrophysicist, has been recognized globally for her significant influence. She currently holds the position of professor at Yale University. In addition to chairing the Astronomy department, she serves as the Chairperson of the Women Faculty Forum and is the Director of Yale’s Franke Program in Science and the Humanities.

Ms. Natarajan’s educational background includes degrees in Physics and Mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a focus on the History and Philosophy of Science at MIT’s Program in Science, Technology & Society. Her doctoral studies were completed at the University of Cambridge, where she held the prestigious Isaac Newton studentship and was a fellow of Trinity College. Her research focuses on using simulations and models to understand the interactions between black holes and their host galaxies and the broader cosmos.

Her ultimate goal is to identify the fundamental processes underlying black hole evolution and to predict observable phenomena using various tools. Ms Natarajan has received numerous honors and awards, including the Liberty Science Center’s Genius Award in 2022 and fellowships from institutions such as the American Physical Society (APS), the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Guggenheim Foundation, and the Radcliffe Institute. In 2016, she published ‘Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas that Reveal the Cosmos’, showcasing her expertise in the field of astrophysics and scientific ideas about the cosmos.