Dr. Farhad Zadeh

Biography

Research Professor Farhad Zadeh attended SUNY Stony Brook for undergraduate studies in Physics and later earned a PhD in Astronomy from Columbia University. He spent years at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center as a National Research Council postdoctoral fellow before joining the faculty of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Northwestern University in 1988. His primary research interests focus on understanding the physical processes occurring in the nucleus of our galaxy, specifically the central region which is known to be unusually active. Farhad's group utilizes advanced astronomical facilities such as the Very Large Array, MeerKAT, and ALMA, as well as space-based observatories like Chandra and Hubble, to study the origins and activities of the Galactic Center. His research topics include monitoring flaring activity from the supermassive black hole Sgr A*, investigating cosmic rays' interactions with gas in the galaxy's nucleus, and exploring star formation processes near Sgr A*. Farhad has also developed new service courses for non-majors to teach imaging in astronomy, emphasizing real-world examples from his research. He is actively involved in outreach, giving public lectures on varied topics within astronomy.

Research Interests

Experience