Priyamvada Natarajan’s research is focused on exotica in the Universe—dark matter, dark energy and black holes. She is noted for her key contributions to two of the most challenging problems in cosmology:  mapping the distribution of dark matter and tracing the growth history of black holes. Her work using gravitational lensing has provided a deeper understanding of the granularity of dark matter in clusters of galaxies and offers a novel way to unravel the nature of dark matter. Natarajan also works on the assembly and accretion history of black holes. Deeply invested in the public dissemination of science, a fervent proponent of numerical literacy, she is also a published poet. 

Natarajan is a professor in the Departments of Astronomy and Physics at Yale University. She also holds the Sophie and Tycho Brahe Professorship at the Dark Center, Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark.