Kishalay De

Kishalay De is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Astronomy at Columbia University and an Associate Research Scientist at the Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute. His research focuses on using wide-field imaging surveys to study cosmic transients from stellar binaries in the Milky Way and distant Universe. He specializes in analyzing data from missions like Palomar Gattini-IR (PGIR), Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), and NASA's WISE telescope to understand stellar cataclysms and their role in shaping the universe via gravitational waves and electromagnetic signatures.

• Affiliations: Columbia University, Flatiron Institute
• Education: PhD in Astrophysics (Caltech, 2021), B.Sc. Physics (Indian Institute of Science, 2016)

His work includes discovering heavily obscured novae in the Galactic plane and characterizing infrared transients linked to stellar mergers and black hole accretion. He is leading a project analyzing 15 years of WISE archival data to study transient mid-infrared phenomena.

Awards: NASA Einstein Fellowship (2021–2024), Kavli Institute Fellowship.