The Gruber Foundation Fellowships 2021 have been awarded to: Rebecca Louise Davies of the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia; Khyati Malhan of the Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmoparticle Physics, Stockholm University, Sweden; and Liliana E. Rivera Sandoval of the University of Alberta, Canada.

Each year, The Gruber Foundation, in collaboration with the International Astronomical Union (IAU), funds a US$75 000 fellowship programme for promising young astronomers. Similarly to last year, the evaluation panel has decided to award this year’s fellowship jointly to three outstanding candidates, each of whom will receive US$25 000.

Rebecca Louise Davies is currently researching feedback processes in galaxy evolution and the galaxy baryon cycle. “I am very honoured to have been selected for this prestigious fellowship. I would like to thank the IAU and the Gruber Foundation for supporting the advancement of my research. This fellowship will enable me to bridge the geographical gap between Australia and the US and Europe, providing opportunities to consolidate the international collaborations I established during my PhD and to forge new scientific partnerships. As well as advancing my research, these collaborations will facilitate the transfer of scientific expertise into Australia, mitigating the impact of the country's geographical isolation as we emerge from the current pandemic.”

Khyati Malhan works in the field of Milky Way formation and dynamics. Broadly, he uses stellar dynamics to investigate the formation and evolution of our Milky Way galaxy, and the nature of dark matter. “I am deeply pleased and honoured to be awarded the prestigious TGF Fellowship 2021. I sincerely thank the respected jury and I also acknowledge the consistent guidance and support of my mentors, family and brilliant colleagues. This grant will support my research projects and it will also allow me to strengthen my international collaborations. Having received this award, I now feel even more confident and encouraged to continue contributing to this field of astronomy.”

Liliana E. Rivera Sandoval is researching the properties and accretion discs of compact binary star systems. “I am extremely honoured to have been selected as a recipient of this prestigious fellowship. I am very grateful to the IAU and this award strongly motivates me to continue with my work and will certainly inspire other women and minorities to do research. The support from the Gruber Fellowship will not only have a profound impact on my own career, but it will also allow me to promote women in astronomy, enable new collaborations and bring astronomy closer to younger generations of historically underrepresented groups in science.”

“The IAU is very pleased to recognise such bright young astronomers through the partnership with The Gruber Foundation and to support the future leaders of the astronomical community,” says Teresa Lago, IAU General Secretary. 

More information

The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings together more than 12 000 active professional astronomers from more than 100 countries worldwide. Its mission is to promote and safeguard astronomy in all its aspects, including research, communication, education and development, through international cooperation. The IAU also serves as the internationally recognised authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and the surface features on them. Founded in 1919, the IAU is the world's largest professional body for astronomers.

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