By Soumoshree Mukherjee
In a deeply engaging podcast conversation hosted by Sanjay Puri and John, astrophysicist Priyamvada Natarajan opened up about her remarkable journey, from a curious child in India to one of the world’s leading voices in astrophysics. Her story, layered with resilience, mentorship, and a passion for maps and the cosmos, is as expansive as the universe she studies.
“I won the birth lottery with my parents… In fact, of my siblings, I’m the only person who actually came out to study,” Natarajan reflected early in the conversation. Born into a supportive academic family, she was surrounded by books, stimulating discussions, and role models who encouraged her to chart her own path. Her parents nurtured both her love for the arts and sciences, instilling a spirit of curiosity and exploration that became the foundation of her career.
A defining moment came through mentorship. Recalling her early fascination with star maps, Natarajan shared how a challenging task at a young age sparked a lifelong passion for problem-solving.
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“MIT was the perfect place for me then because I had brimming with curiosity, and it was the perfect place to explore,” her time at MIT further broadened her horizons, highlighting the role of diverse educational opportunities in shaping her scientific curiosity, “I went to India to the Gandhi Gram rural institute… I did that project and then I realized (of) having an impact in that field.”
But the road was not without challenges. Reflecting on her academic journey, she admitted to moments of self-doubt and pressure. “…it felt very selfish to be doing physics, which I love… I also come from a family with a long history of public service. So that’s part of it that I felt I had to give back in some way. So, I went through all those torture things.”
Mentors like Martin Schwarzschild helped her stay true to her path, even as personal struggles, including a difficult marriage, tested her resilience. Institutions like Trinity College provided crucial support during these periods.
At the heart of Natarajan’s philosophy is the pursuit of mastery. “The goal is to go deeper and deeper and not to get quickly content with surface level understanding,” she emphasized.
This belief also extends to everyday encounters, she described learning from people across walks of life, even household staff, as a lesson in humility and mastery, “It’s not just about knowledge. It’s about just knowing more about the world that you live in and understanding the world, understanding people.”
For Natarajan, maps remain both a metaphor and a method. Whether in astronomy or genomics, she sees mapping as central to discovery. “The thing that I loved about maps was the fact that… it delineates what is known and what is not known,” she said. Her current work on mapping dark matter underscores this principle, pushing the boundaries of what humanity understands about the cosmos.
Despite the competitive and male-dominated field of astrophysics, Natarajan has found strength in authenticity. She believes that staying true to herself has always created the most meaningful opportunities.
She also credits luck and timing for shaping her trajectory, “it is being at the right place at the right time with the right temperament. Another person who had the same opportunities may or may not have turned out the same way.”
As the conversation closed, gratitude defined her tone. With that, listeners were left with a portrait of a scientist who not only maps the universe but also inspires others to explore their own infinite possibilities.