Event date:
Sep 28 2026 3:00 pm

Opening a New Window to the Universe - 11th Abdus Salam Memorial Lecture at LUMS

Speaker(s)
Nergis Mavalvala, Dean of the MIT School of Science, Curtis and Kathleen Marble Professor of Astrophysics
Venue
LCE Auditorium - Basement SBASSE
Abstract
The first ever detections of gravitational waves from colliding black holes and neutron stars have launched a new era of gravitational wave astrophysics. I will describe the science, technology, and human story behind these discoveries that provide a completely new window into some of the most violent and warped events in the Universe.

Nergis Mavalvala PhD ’97 is the Dean of the MIT School of Science and the Curtis and Kathleen Marble Professor of Astrophysics. Her research focuses on the detection of gravitational waves from violent events in the cosmos that warp and ripple the fabric of space-time. She is part of the team that in early 2016 announced the first direct detection of gravitational waves from colliding black holes using the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors, ushering in a new era in astrophysics. Mavalvala has also conducted experiments in the optical trapping and cooling of mirrors to enable observation of quantum phenomena in macroscopic objects. She is the recipient of a 2010 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. Mavalvala earned a BA in physics and astronomy from Wellesley College and a PhD in physics from MIT.