Rachel Mandelbaum is a professor of

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline, James Keeler, said, astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the ...

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

, studying

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe, the cosmos. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', with the meaning of "a speaking of the wo ...

and

galactic evolution In cosmology, the study of galaxy formation and evolution is concerned with the processes that formed a heterogeneous universe from a homogeneous beginning, the formation of the first galaxies, the way galaxies change over time, and the process ...

with a focus on

dark matter In astronomy, dark matter is an invisible and hypothetical form of matter that does not interact with light or other electromagnetic radiation. Dark matter is implied by gravity, gravitational effects that cannot be explained by general relat ...

and

dark energy In physical cosmology and astronomy, dark energy is a proposed form of energy that affects the universe on the largest scales. Its primary effect is to drive the accelerating expansion of the universe. It also slows the rate of structure format ...

. Much of her work has used the phenomenon of

gravitational lens A gravitational lens is matter, such as a galaxy cluster, cluster of galaxies or a point particle, that bends light from a distant source as it travels toward an observer. The amount of gravitational lensing is described by Albert Einstein's Ge ...

ing of galaxies and she has made significant improvements in the calibration of lensing parameters.

Education

Mandelbaum received her A.B. in physics with highest honors from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

in 2000. She received her Ph.D. in physics from Princeton University in 2006 and is a tenured associate professor of physics at the

Research

Mandelbaum studies cosmology using the technique of weak gravitational lensing. She has contributed to more than 100 published papers since 2011. She served as the

spokesperson A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others. Duties and function In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...

for the

LSST Dark Energy Science Collaboration LSST may refer to: * Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, former name of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory astronomical observatory in Chile ** Legacy Survey of Space and Time, an astronomical survey performed at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory * Lowstand ...

, elected in 2019 and serving until July 1, 2021.

Personal life

Mandelbaum is an Orthodox Jew. She is open about her faith.

Awards

Mandelbaum has received numerous awards including the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship in 2013, the Department of Energy Early Career Award in 2012 and the Annie Jump Cannon Award in Astronomy from the

American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...

in 2011. In 2019, she was named a Simons Investigator by the

Simons Foundation The Simons Foundation is an American private foundation established in 1994 by Marilyn and James Harris Simons, Jim Simons with offices in New York City. As one of the largest charitable organizations in the United States with assets of over $5 ...

References

External links

Curriculum vitae
an
publications
Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American astrophysicists American women physicists Princeton University alumni Carnegie Mellon University faculty 21st-century American physicists 21st-century American women scientists Recipients of the Annie J. Cannon Award in Astronomy {{US-physicist-stub