Priyamvada Natarajan

“We already have a pretty good knowledge of the universe's mass-energy content, so if we can get a handle on its geometry, then we will be able to work out exactly what the fate of the universe will be.”

“I fell in love with the night sky when I first looked through a telescope as a young girl growing up in Delhi.”

“I am a phenomenologist - I work on developing theoretical models that are constrained by observations.”

“I am obsessed with trying to understand why there is such rampant denialism of science in our country. I find this exuberant irrationalism extremely disturbing. And this is particularly troubling, because I am a professional scientist.”

“Mapping, both literal and metaphorical, has always been about our quest for knowing.”

“I'm an astrophysicist and a professor, so my day job involves manipulating intractable numbers that characterize our universe.”

“Research in basic sciences now requires resources that no one country can provide.”

“I am a professor of astronomy and physics at Yale University, where I teach an introductory class in cosmology. I see the deficiencies that first-year students show up with.”

“We must face up to a difficult paradox: The U.S. can maintain a leading position in science only by giving up its desire to be number one.”

“Data suggest that central black holes might play an important role in adjusting how many stars form in the galaxies they inhabit. For one thing, the energy produced when matter falls into the black hole may heat up the surrounding gas at the center of the galaxy, thus preventing cooling and halting star formation.”

“We cannot explain the phenomenon of gravitational lensing without general relativity, and this is where MOND spectacularly fails.”

“Perhaps more than English or history, STEM subjects require an enormous amount of foundational learning before students can become competent.”

“The geometry, the content, and the fate of the universe are all intricately linked. If you know two, you can deduce the third.”

“Evidence-based reasoning underpins all scientific thinking, and it involves testing hypotheses or theories against data. Validating a theory requires replicable measurements from independent groups with different equipment and methods of analysis. Convergence of evidence is critical to the acceptance of a scientific idea.”

“Research in any domain of science today requires specialized training to build up knowledge and clinical competence. To make major breakthroughs, we need people with expertise who are engaged in sustained research over a long period of time - in a word, scientists.”

“Science is evidence-based and provides a continuing understanding of complex natural phenomena. Our understanding is constantly evolving and continually improving.”

“If you know the shape of the lens and the image you get, you can work out the path that light followed between the object and your eye.”

“All the particles that we are made of only account for about four per cent of the cosmic inventory.”

“Mental discipline and tenacity in the face of obstacles are traits that have greatly helped me in both my personal and professional journey thus far. I am also very optimistic by nature and tend to focus on the positive and remain hopeful when faced with adversity.”

“My students may have dexterity with the equations they're required to know, but they lack the capacity to apply their knowledge to real-life problems. This critical shortcoming appears in high school and possibly in elementary grades - long before college.”