Nergis Mavalvala

Introduction

• Born 1968

• A Pakistani-American quantum astrophysicist.

• Best known for her role in the first observation of gravitational waves.

• Being openly lesbian and Pakistani, she describes herself as an "out, queer person of color."

• Currently serves as the first female dean of the School of Science at MIT.

Fun Fact #1

Mavalvala was born in a Parsi family in Karachi, Pakistan and received her early education from the Convent of Jesus and Mary school.

Her parents highly valued their daughter's educational experiences, and encouraged her to pursue higher education overseas.

She moved to the United States in 1986 as a teenager to attend Wellesley College in Massachusetts. She is currently a Physics professor at MIT.

Fun Fact #2

The gravitational-wave is something that ripples in space and time. The existence of gravitational waves was hypothesized by physicist Albert Einstein a century ago.

Mavalvala pioneered work in gravitational-wave detection and played a major role in the first observation of gravitational waves.

Identifying gravitational waves is particularly challenging, as it involves detection of black holes, which absorb surrounding light, thus escaping detection by conventional telescopes.

Fun Fact #3

Mavalvala received the MacArthur "genuis" award in 2010. She received $500 000 in funding to continue her research on gravitational waves and improving instruments that enable their detection.

Mavalvala is often viewed as a role model for aspiring female scientists with roots in the Indian subcontinent.