Professor Dr. Vicky Kalogera

Professor

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Biography

Vicky Kalogera is the Daniel Linzer Distinguished University Professor and Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) at Northwestern University. She earned her PhD from the University of Illinois in 1997. Her research interests span several fields within astrophysics, focusing on compact objects and their interactions. Kalogera is a leading astrophysicist within the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and has been a member for over 15 years. This collaboration achieved a historic milestone in 2015 with the detection of gravitational waves, a phenomenon predicted by Einstein a century earlier. She was part of the discovery team for the first LIGO source (GW150914), receiving the 2016 Gruber Prize in Cosmology and the Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in 2016 for this work. Her research employs advanced data analysis, astrophysical modeling, and machine learning techniques to study the universe's population of black holes and neutron stars. Additionally, she investigates gravitational-wave astronomy and its cross-disciplinary relationships with stellar astrophysics and data science.

Research Interests

Astrophysics Compact Objects Gravitational Waves Binary Systems Electromagnetic Spectrum Multi-Messenger Astrophysics Machine Learning Astrophysical Data Analysis

Experience

Director

2015-01-01 — Present

CIERA • Evanston, IL

Oversees research initiatives and collaboration in astrophysics.

Daniel Linzer Distinguished University Professor

2015-01-01 — Present

Northwestern University • Evanston, IL

Serves as a faculty member and leader in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Awards

Elected Fellow

2021-01-01

Guggenheim Fellowship

2021-01-01

Legacy Fellow

2020-01-01

Elected Fellow

2019-01-01

Elected Member

2018-01-01

Dannie Heineman Prize in Astrophysics

2018-01-01

Hans Bethe Prize

2016-01-01

Simons Foundation Fellow

2012-01-01

Requirements for Northwestern University

Doctorate Program

Requirements

GPA Requirement

Required:3

TOEFL

Total

Required:90

IELTS

Overall

Required:7

Prerequisites

U.S. Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Application Checklist

Online application
Transcripts
Letters of recommendation
Statement of purpose
Resume/CV
TOEFL/IELTS scores (if applicable)

Specialization Notes

Standard PhD requirements for TGS departments including Chemistry, Physics, and Sociology.