Farhad Zadeh

Farhad Zadeh is a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Northwestern University, where he has been since 1988. His research focuses on understanding the physical processes in the Galactic Center, particularly around the supermassive black hole Sgr A*. He uses advanced telescopes like ALMA, VLA, and Chandra to study star formation near black holes, cosmic ray interactions, and black hole flaring activity.

Education:

• Bachelor's in Physics, SUNY Stony Brook
• PhD in Astronomy, Columbia University
• Postdoctoral Fellowship at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Research Interests:

• Multi-wavelength monitoring of Sgr A* flares
• Cosmic ray interactions in the Galactic nucleus
• Star formation mechanisms near supermassive black holes

His group employs cutting-edge facilities such as ALMA and Chandra to explore these phenomena, focusing on synchrotron emission, plasma dynamics, and molecular cloud interactions.

Awards & Outreach:

• Recipient of the 2007 and 2008 Prize-Winning Astronomical Image awards
• Developed Imaging in Astronomy course for non-majors, emphasizing image analysis
• Co-created the Imaging and Imagining Space exhibition with Pamela Bannos
• Host of public lecture series archived on the department website

Key Infrastructure: Utilizes VLA, MeerKAT, ALMA, Chandra, and Hubble Space Telescope for observations.