Priyamvada Natarajan of Yale U inducted as Fellow to American Astronomical Society  

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The American Astronomical Society announced February 1, 2024, the names of 21 new Fellows it is inducting into the prestigious organization, including an Indian American Priyamvada Natarajan.

Natarajan who is a Yale theoretical astrophysicist, was named by the AAS, “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.”

The Joseph S. and Sophia S. Fruton Professor of Astronomy and Professor of Physics at Yale, Narataran is also Chair of the Astronomy department, and Chair of the Women Faculty Forum.

She describes type of research as ‘Experimentalist’ in the areas of Astrophysics and Cosmology. Her current projects as listed on her Yale profile include Gravitational Lensing, Clusters of Galaxies as Astrophysical Laboratories, Black Hole Physics, Binary Black Holes, Issues in Galaxy Formation, History & Philosophy of Science.

“I am delighted and honored to be recognized by my peers, which is super special,” Natarajan is quoted saying in Yale News, adding, “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.”

An elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Physical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Natarajan has also received the Guggenheim and Radcliffe fellowships.

She has a PhD from Cambridge University and has been at Yale since 2000. She is director of the Franke Program in Science and the Humanities, which looks to multidisciplinary understanding and collaborative research.

In 2022, Natarajan received the Liberty Science Center ‘Genius Award’.