Professor Dr. Rachel Mandelbaum profile photo

Professor Dr. Rachel Mandelbaum

Professor

Build a Statement of Purpose

Generate a tailored SOP for Dr. Rachel Mandelbaum. Improve your application with a focused, well-structured draft.

Biography

Rachel Mandelbaum is a Professor and the Department Head of Astrophysics & Cosmology at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research predominantly focuses on observational cosmology and galaxy studies, utilizing weak gravitational lensing analysis techniques. Mandelbaum's work includes the development of improved data analysis methods and their application to existing datasets, primarily concentrating on the Hyper-SuprimeCam (HSC) survey and upcoming surveys such as the Rubin Observatory's LSST and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. She is an active member of the LSST Dark Energy Science Collaboration, having served as Spokesperson from 2019 to 2021, and leads the CMU LINCC Frameworks Initiative. Over her career, she has received numerous prestigious awards including the Simons Investigator in Astrophysics (2019) and the AAS Annie Jump Cannon Prize (2011). Mandelbaum completed her Ph.D. at Princeton University in 2006 and has held various academic positions at Carnegie Mellon University since 2011. Her recent publications exemplify her significant contributions to understanding cosmic shear and galaxy intrinsic alignments, reflecting her expertise in advanced astrophysical analysis.

Research Interests

Astrophysics Cosmology Observational Cosmology Galaxy Studies Weak Gravitational Lensing

Experience

Interim Department Head

2024-01-01 — Present

Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA

Leading the Department of Physics as Interim Head.

Professor

2019-01-01 — Present

Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA

Holding a tenured professorship in the Department of Physics.

Associate Professor

2014-01-01 — 2019-01-01

Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA

Served as an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics.

Assistant Professor

2011-01-01 — 2014-01-01

Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA

Began her academic career as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics.

Visiting Associate Research Scholar

2011-01-01 — 2012-01-01

Princeton University • Princeton, NJ

Conducted research at Princeton University.

Post-doctoral Researcher

2009-01-01 — 2011-01-01

Princeton University • Princeton, NJ

Engaged in post-doctoral research focusing on astrophysics.

Post-doctoral Researcher

2006-01-01 — 2009-01-01

Institute for Advanced Study • Princeton, NJ

Conducted advanced research in astrophysics.

Awards

#

Simons Investigator in Astrophysics

2019-01-01
#

AAS Annie Jump Cannon Prize

2011-01-01
#

Hubble Fellow

2006-01-01
#

Kusaka Memorial Prize

2000-01-01

Requirements for Carnegie Mellon University

Doctorate Program

Requirements

GPA Requirement
Required:3.5
GRE General
Verbal
Required:158
Quantitative
Required:149
Analytical Writing
Required:4
Overall
Required:4

Prerequisites

Bachelor's degree in Psychology or related field Research experience/publications

Application Checklist

  • Online application
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Transcripts
  • GRE scores (optional but reported in profile)
  • English Proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo)

Specialization Notes

Admission is extremely competitive with no strict GPA cut-offs; holistic review is used.