Vice Chair
Prajval Shastri is an Indian astrophysicist specialising in the empirical investigation of giant black holes that are found in the centres of distant galaxies, using telescopes operating at multiple frequencies ranging from radio to gamma-rays. In particular, she studies the consequences of jets launched from their environment at relativistic speeds and their impact on star-formation in their host galaxies.
She got her PhD from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, India and was faculty at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics for over 23 years. She believes that the cultivation of scientific thinking is for everyone, and towards this goal she uses astrophysics as a vehicle to engage lay audiences of all ages in English, Kannada and Hindi.
She is also deeply concerned about inequity in the sciences. She is a member of the Women in Physics Working Group of IUPAP, founder and past Chair of the Gender in Physics Working Group of the Indian Physics Association, a member of the Working Group for Gender Equity of the Astronomical Society of India and has led workshops on addressing intersectionality in the sciences.
More details are on her Wikipedia page and website, which contains her curriculum vitae and complete list of research and popular publications. She is also has a YouTube channel.
