Pak-origin scientist Nergis named dean of MIT School of Science

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani quantum astrophysicist Nergis Mavalvala has been named the new dean of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Lahore-born Mavalvala is known for her work in gravitational-wave detection, ripples in space and time hypothesis by Albert Einstein a century ago. She has been the associate head of the Department of Physics at MIT since 2015.

According to MIT News, Mavalvala is the first woman dean of the institute. “Nergis’s brilliance as a researcher and educator speaks eloquently for itself,” says MIT President L Rafael Reif. “What excites me equally about her appointment as dean are the qualities I have seen in her as a leader: She is a deft, collaborative problem-solver, a wise and generous colleague, an incomparable mentor, and a champion for inclusive excellence.

“As we prepare for the start of this most unusual academic year, it gives me great comfort to know that the School of Science will remain in such capable hands,” he added.

The astrophysicist was born in Lahore and grew up in Karachi. She did her Bachelors at Wellesley College in Physics and Astronomy in 1990 and a PhD in physics in 1997 from the MIT.

In 2017, Mavalvala was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and was recognised by the Carnegie Corporation of New York as a Great Immigrant honoree. She is also the first person to receive the Lahore Technology Award, given by the city’s Information Technology University.