Wen-fai Fong Wins NSF Early CAREER Award
March 19, 2021
Wen-fai Fong, an Assistant Professor in Physics & Astronomy, has won a National Science Foundation Early CAREER award.
Dr. Fong's CAREER research is rooted in high-impact frontiers in time-domain astronomy, and will explore two of the universe's fastest-timescale transients in unprecedented detail: fast radio bursts (FRBs) and short-duration gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs). SGRBs originate from neutron star mergers, and are directly connected to multi-messenger astronomy, while the origins of FRBs are not clearly known. Her group will use a wide range of observational facilities around the world and in space to study the galaxy environments of both populations. As host galaxies represent the "homes" of these transients, they have proved to be extremely important tools in understanding origins of mysterious transients. They will pair their observations with modeling and provide large legacy samples to diversify our existing knowledge, or in the case of FRBs, lay important groundwork.
Dr. Fong also will partner with DEI experts and local initiatives to establish an important and far-reaching program, “Thrive", which will provide mentorship for women and underrepresented students and help them pursue their interests in astronomy and astrophysics.
Congratulations to Dr. Fong on this remarkable achievement!
To read more about Dr. Fong's award, please visit Northwestern Now.