Feryal Özel facts for kids

Image of the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy M87, taken by the Event Horizon Telescope team. Professor Özel is part of this team.

Feryal Özel (born May 27, 1975) is a Turkish-American astrophysicist. She was born in Istanbul, Turkey. She studies amazing things in space like neutron stars and black holes. These are called compact objects and high-energy space events.

Today, Professor Özel leads the physics department at the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Physics in Atlanta. Before that, she was a professor at the University of Arizona in Tucson. She worked in their Astronomy Department.

Özel studied at Columbia University and graduated with top honors. She then earned her PhD at Harvard University. Her advisor there was Ramesh Narayan. She also worked as a Hubble Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study. She was a visiting professor at UC Berkeley.

Professor Özel is well-known for her work on neutron stars, black holes, and magnetars. She is a key member of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) team. This team made history by releasing the first-ever image of a black hole.

In 2013, Özel received the Maria Goeppert-Mayer Award from the American Physical Society. This award was for her great work in studying neutron stars. She has also appeared on TV shows like Big Ideas on PBS. She was also on The Universe series on the History Channel.

Professor Özel also helps lead a big NASA project. It is called the Lynx X-ray Observatory study. She works with Alexey Vikhlinin on this important mission.

Education and Learning Journey

Professor Özel has had an impressive journey through her education:

• 1992 – She finished high school at Üsküdar American Academy in İstanbul, Turkey.
• 1996 – She earned her Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree. She studied Physics and Applied Mathematics at Columbia University in New York City.
• 1997 – She received her Master of Science (MSc) degree in Physics. She studied at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark.
• 2002 – She completed her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Astrophysics. This was at Harvard University in Cambridge, USA.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Professor Özel has received many honors and awards for her work:

• 2020 – Breakthrough Prize
• 2019 – Chair of the Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC) for NASA
• 2016 – Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
• 2014 – Visiting Miller Professorship at University of California Berkeley
• 2013 – Maria Goeppert Mayer Award from the American Physical Society
• 2012–2013 – Fellowship at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies
• 2010 – Bart J. Bok Prize from Harvard University
• 2010 – Lucas Award from the San Diego Astronomy Association
• 2007 – Visiting Scholar Fellowship from the Turkish Scientific and Technical Research Foundation
• 2002–2005 – Hubble Postdoctoral Fellowship
• 2003 – Distinguished Scholar Award from the Daughters of Atatürk Foundation
• 2002 – Keck Fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Study
• 1999 – Van Vleck Fellowship at Harvard University
• 1997 – Kostrup Prize from the Niels Bohr Institute
• 1996–1997 – Niels Bohr Institute Graduate Fellowship
• 1996 – Applied Mathematics Faculty Award from Columbia University
• 1994–1996 – Fu Foundation Scholarship from Columbia University
• 1995 – Research Fellowship at CERN
• 1992–1994 – Turkish Health and Education Foundation Scholarship

See also

In Spanish: Feryal Özel para niños