Priyamvada Natarajan, the esteemed astrophysicist awarded the 2025 Dannie Heineman Prize.

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Yale astrophysicist Priyamvada Natarajan has been honored with the 2025 Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics, acknowledging her pioneering contributions to the fields of black holes and dark matter. This esteemed award, conferred by the American Astronomical Society (AAS) and the American Institute of Physics (AIP), recognizes outstanding achievements in astrophysical research by mid-career scientists. Notably, Natarajan is the first faculty member from Yale to receive this distinguished accolade since the prize’s establishment in 1980. Natarajan’s work has profoundly enhanced theoretical frameworks that tackle essential astrophysical inquiries, particularly regarding the genesis of black holes and the characteristics of dark matter. She has played a pivotal role in employing gravitational lensing techniques to elucidate dark matter distribution and has made significant strides in understanding black holes from the early universe. Expressing her gratitude, Natarajan, who serves as the Joseph S. and Sophia S. Fruton Professor and Chair of Astronomy at Yale, stated, “I am delighted and deeply honored to be recognized by the AAS and AIP. It’s an exciting time in science where conceptual and theoretical ideas can be tested rapidly against available data.” Since joining Yale in 2000, she has also led the Franke Program in Science and the Humanities and has received numerous honors, including fellowships from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the AAS, and the American Physical Society, as well as the Liberty Science Center’s Genius Award. In 2024, she was recognized in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. The Heineman Prize, which carries a monetary award of $10,000, was announced on January 16 during the AAS meeting held in National Harbor, Maryland.