Priyamvada Natarajan elected American Astronomical Society fellow
Priyamvada Natarajan is the Joseph S. and Sophia S. Fruton Professor and Chair of Astronomy and professor of physics in the Yale Faculty of Arts and Science.
Indian American theoretical astrophysicist Priyamvada Natarajan has been elected a fellow of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in recognition of her seminal research on the nature of dark matter and black hole physics.
Natarajan, the Joseph S. and Sophia S. Fruton Professor and Chair of Astronomy and professor of physics in the Yale Faculty of Arts and Sciences, is among 21 fellows chosen this year for extraordinary achievement and service.
She was named “for seminal contributions to our understanding of the nature of dark matter and black hole physics, and for the development of a brand-new framework that enables mapping the detailed distribution of dark matter on small scales within galaxy clusters using gravitational lensing.”
“I am delighted and honored to be recognized by my peers, which is super special,” Natarajan said. “I am so grateful and thrilled for the reactions I’ve had to my research work, and accolades such as this are a wonderful icing on the cake.”
A Yale faculty member since 2000, she is director of the Franke Program in Science and the Humanities, which fosters communication, mutual understanding, collaborative research, and teaching among diverse scientific and humanistic disciplines.
Priyamvada Natarajan, 8 other Indian Americans elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences (May 5, 2023)
She is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Physical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She also is the recipient of Guggenheim and Radcliffe fellowships.
The 2024 AAS Fellows now represent the fifth class recognized for enhancing and sharing humanity’s scientific understanding of the universe through personal achievement and extraordinary service to the astronomical sciences and to the AAS.
“The 2024 AAS Fellows class highlights the incredible work being done in our field, both in critical research advances and in tireless and devoted service to the community,” says AAS President Kelsey Johnson (University of Virginia). “It’s a privilege to recognize the contributions of these members of our community, and we are honored to have them as colleagues.”
The AAS Fellows program was started in 2019 to recognize AAS members for their contributions toward the Society’s mission of enhancing and sharing humanity’s scientific understanding of the universe.
Fellows may be cited for original research and publication, innovative contributions to astronomical techniques or instrumentation, significant contributions to education and public outreach, and noteworthy service to astronomy and to society itself.