Feryal Özel, born in Istanbul in 1975, focuses her research on the physics of compact objects and high-energy astrophysical phenomena. Holding dual citizenship in Turkey and the United States, she maintains a career spanning academic leadership, mathematical research, and observational astronomy while contributing to the global understanding of black holes, neutron stars, and magnetars.
Academic Foundation
Özel completed her secondary schooling at the Üsküdar American Academy in Istanbul in 1992. She subsequently moved to the United States, earning a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Applied Mathematics from Columbia University in 1996, where she attended the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. Following her undergraduate studies, she earned an MSc in Physics from the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen in 1997. She completed her formal education in 2002, receiving a PhD in Astrophysics from Harvard University, where Ramesh Narayan served as her thesis advisor.
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Her professional path includes a variety of fellowships and appointments. She served as a Hubble Fellow and a member of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. She has also held positions as a fellow at the Harvard-Radcliffe Institute and a visiting professor at the Miller Institute at the University of California, Berkeley. Before her tenure as department chair and professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, she was a professor in the Astronomy Department and at the Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona.
Research and Contributions
Özel specializes in neutron star astrophysics and the study of black holes. She participated in the Event Horizon Telescope project as a modeling lead, contributing to the acquisition of the first image of a black hole. Her involvement in NASA mission concepts includes serving as the Science and Technology Definition Team Community Co-chair for the Lynx X-ray Observatory alongside Alexey Vikhlinin. Furthermore, she chaired the Astrophysics Advisory Committee at NASA starting in 2019.
Awards and Recognition
The American Physical Society presented her with the Maria Goeppert-Mayer Award in 2013 for her work in neutron star astrophysics. In 2016, she received a Guggenheim Fellowship. Additional accolades include the 2020 Breakthrough Prize, the 2010 Bart J. Bok Prize from Harvard University, and the 2010 Lucas Award from the San Diego Astronomy Association. Throughout her career, she has received support from organizations including the Turkish Scientific and Technical Research Foundation and the Turkish Health and Education Foundation.
Fast facts
- Born: 1975, Istanbul, Turkey
- Citizenship: United States; Turkey
- Fields: Astrophysics; Mathematics
- PhD: Harvard University, 2002
- Major Project: Event Horizon Telescope
- Guggenheim Fellowship: 2016
- Maria Goeppert-Mayer Award: 2013
Questions readers ask
What is Feryal Özel's primary area of scientific research?
She specializes in the physics of compact objects, specifically black holes, neutron stars, and magnetars.
Where does she currently hold a professorship?
As of 2022, she serves as a professor and department chair at the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Physics.
Achievements
- Held posts at University of Arizona
- Educated at Columbia University, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science and Harvard University
- Fields of research: astrophysics
