Indian-American theoretical astrophysicist Priyamvada Natarajan has made significant contributions to our understanding of the cosmos, particularly in mapping dark matter and elucidating the growth of supermassive black holes. Born in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, she was raised in New Delhi by academic parents. Her early fascination with celestial maps and visits to the Nehru Planetarium in Delhi sparked a lifelong passion for astronomy.
Natarajan pursued undergraduate degrees in physics and mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She furthered her studies with a Master’s in Science, Technology, and Society at MIT before completing her Ph.D. in theoretical astrophysics at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, in 1998. At Cambridge, she was elected to a Junior Research Fellowship at Trinity College, which she held from 1997 to 2003.
Since joining Yale University in 2000, Natarajan has served as a professor in the departments of Astronomy and Physics. Her research employs gravitational lensing techniques to map dark matter distribution and develop models describing the assembly and accretion histories of supermassive black holes over cosmic time. Notably, her work on black hole seeds has led to a new model of galaxy formation, suggesting that the first black holes evolved concurrently with the universe rather than forming solely from the remnants of the earliest stars.
In recognition of her groundbreaking research, Natarajan was awarded the 2025 Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics. She has also been elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Physical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2024, she was featured in Time Magazine’s list of 100 most influential people.
Beyond her research, Natarajan authored the critically acclaimed book “Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal the Cosmos” (2016), which explores the evolving understanding of the universe. She currently holds the Sophie and Tycho Brahe Professorship at the Dark Cosmology Center, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, and an Honorary Professorship at the University of Delhi.
Natarajan’s journey from a curious child in India to a leading figure in astrophysics exemplifies the profound impact of passion and perseverance in advancing human knowledge of the universe.