Jedidah C. Isler

Dr. Jedidah Isler is a native of Virginia Beach, VA and a lifetime lover of the night sky. A graduate of the Dozoretz National Institute for Mathematics and Applied Sciences (DNIMAS) program at Norfolk State University, Dr. Isler later received a Masters in Physics as part of the initial cohort in the Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters to Ph.D. Bridge Program, a pioneering effort to expand access to advanced STEM degrees for students of color. Dr. Isler continued her educational pursuits at Yale University, where her research in astrophysics was supported by nationally competitive fellowships from NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Ford Foundation. In 2014, Dr. Isler became the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Yale, completing an award-winning study that examines the physics of particle jets emanating from supermassive black holes at the centers of distant galaxies. She is presently an NSF Astronomy & Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow at Vanderbilt University and participates in the Future Faculty Leader program at Harvard University's Center for Astrophysics.

Throughout her career, Dr. Isler has remained a fierce advocate for the inclusion and empowerment of students from underrepresented backgrounds in the sciences. She has worked with numerous museums, libraries, observatories, and schools across the country on outreach and engagement efforts designed to inspire a new generation of STEM leaders and has established herself as an inspirational voice championing access in the field of Astrophysics and in science education.

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