Andrea Ghez

Andrea Ghez is an American astronomer renowned for her pioneering work in observational astrophysics, particularly in providing conclusive evidence for the existence of a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. A professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, she employs advanced techniques in adaptive optics and speckle imaging to study the Galactic Center. Her groundbreaking research earned her a share of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2020, making her the fourth woman to receive the prize in physics.

Early life and education

Born in New York City, Ghez grew up in Chicago and developed an early interest in space, inspired by the Apollo program moon landings. She attended the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools before pursuing her undergraduate degree. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1987. For her graduate studies, she moved to the California Institute of Technology, where she completed a Master of Science in 1989 and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1992 under the supervision of astronomer Gerald Neugebauer. Her doctoral thesis utilized infrared astronomy and speckle imaging to study young stellar objects in regions like Taurus molecular cloud and Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex.

Career and research

After a Hubble Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Arizona, Ghez joined the faculty of the University of California, Los Angeles in 1994, where she is now the Lauren B. Leichtman & Arthur E. Levine Chair in Astrophysics. Her primary research focus is the Galactic Center, specifically the dense cluster of stars orbiting the radio source Sagittarius A*. Using the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, she and her team developed and refined adaptive optics systems to obtain extraordinarily sharp images through the Earth's atmosphere. By meticulously tracking the orbits of stars like S0-2 over more than two decades, her group provided the most compelling evidence that the unseen mass at the galaxy's core must be a supermassive black hole, a discovery with profound implications for galaxy formation and general relativity. Her work has also contributed significantly to the study of stellar dynamics and the initial mass function in extreme environments.

Honors and awards

Ghez has received numerous prestigious accolades for her contributions to science. She was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2008. In 2020, she shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with Roger Penrose and Reinhard Genzel for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the Galactic Center. Other notable honors include the Annie Jump Cannon Award from the American Astronomical Society, the Gold Shield Faculty Prize from UCLA, the Royal Swedish Academy's Crafoord Prize in Astronomy in 2024, and election to the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. She has also been recognized with the Bakerian Lecture from the Royal Society.

Personal life

Ghez is married to Tom LaTourrette, a geologist and environmental researcher. They have two sons and reside in Los Angeles. An advocate for women in science, she has spoken publicly about the challenges of balancing a demanding research career with family life. She remains actively involved in public outreach, frequently giving lectures and participating in programs to inspire the next generation of scientists at institutions like the Griffith Observatory and through media appearances on networks such as PBS.

Selected publications

* Ghez, A. M., et al. "High proper-motion stars in the vicinity of Sagittarius A*: Evidence for a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy." *The Astrophysical Journal* (1998). * Ghez, A. M., et al. "The first measurement of spectral lines in a short-period star bound to the galaxy’s central black hole: A paradox of youth." *The Astrophysical Journal* (2003). * Ghez, A. M., et al. "Measuring distance and properties of the Milky Way’s central supermassive black hole with stellar orbits." *The Astrophysical Journal* (2008). * Do, T., et al. "Relativistic redshift of the star S0-2 orbiting the Galactic center supermassive black hole." *Science* (2019). (Key paper co-authored by Ghez's team confirming predictions of general relativity). * Ghez, A. M., et al. "The Galactic Center: A Laboratory for Fundamental Astrophysics and Galactic Nuclei." *Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics* (2022).

Category:American astronomers Category:University of California, Los Angeles faculty Category:Nobel laureates in Physics Category:MacArthur Fellows Category:1965 births Category:Living people