Feryal Özel

Feryal Özel is Professor and Chair of the School of Physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she leads research in theoretical astrophysics and serves as a founding member of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration.

Her academic journey includes a B.S. in physics and applied mathematics from Columbia University and a Ph.D. from Harvard University, where her dissertation work ignited her focus on black hole imaging.

Dr. Özel specializes in high-energy astrophysics with emphasis on black hole accretion physics, numerical modeling of event horizons, and relativistic plasma dynamics. Her leadership in the EHT Collaboration culminated in the May 2022 unveiling of Sagittarius A*—the first direct image of the Milky Way's supermassive black hole—and the January 2024 confirmation of M87*'s persistent shadow structure, demonstrating unprecedented observational consistency in black hole physics.

As an advocate for scientific representation, she actively promotes diversity in astrophysics through public engagement including media appearances with NBC News, The New York Times, and the Talk Nerdy podcast, where she discusses both technical breakthroughs and inclusion in STEM fields.