Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

I’m an assistant professor of physics and astronomy and core faculty in women’s and gender studies at the University of New Hampshire. My research in theoretical physics focuses on cosmology, neutron stars, and most especially, dark matter. I also conduct research in Black feminist science, technology, and society studies, and I’m a columnist for New Scientist and Physics World. Nature Magazine recognized me as one of 10 people who shaped science in 2020, and Essence magazine has recognized me as one of “15 Black Women Who Are Paving the Way in STEM and Breaking Barriers.” A cofounder of Particles for Justice, I received the 2017 LGBT+ Physicists Acknowledgement of Excellence Award for my contributions to improving conditions for marginalized people in physics and the 2021 American Physical Society Edward A. Bouchet Award for her contributions to particle cosmology. My first book The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred was named a Best Book of 2021 by Publishers Weekly, Smithsonian Magazine, and Kirkus. It has been a finalist for several awards including the 2022 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award and the 2022 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in the Science and Technology category. The Disordered Cosmos has also been longlisted for the OCM Bocas Prize in Caribbean Literature. Originally from East L.A., I divide my time between the New Hampshire Seacoast and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Black and Indigenous freedom dreams of spacetime, challenging narratives about who does science and why we should do science, and a world without colonialism.

The universe is always more wondrous and queer than we think it is, and dark night sky access is a human rights issue.

Teaching Classical Pilates