Kareem J. El-Badry
Kareem J. El-Badry
Associate Professor of Astronomy
B.S., Yale University, 2016; Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 2021. Visiting Associate, Caltech, 2022-23; Assistant Professor, 2023-26; Associate Professor, 2026-.
Research Interests: binary stars, stellar-mass black holes, neutron stars, white dwarfs, wide-field surveys; near-field cosmology, galactic archaeology, globular clusters; galaxy formation, low-mass galaxies, stellar feedback
Overview
I'm an Assistant Professor of Astronomy at the California Institute of Technology. I am interested in binary stars, black holes, and related stellar exotica. My group uses a combination of large-scale surveys, targeted observations of individual objects, and theoretical stellar evolution calculations to better understand how these objects form, evolve, and interact with their surroundings. I am also interested in Milky Way stellar populations, galaxy formation, and statistical astronomy. Most generally, I like exploring astronomical datasets, learning new things, and developing methods to extract information from data. I have been called the "black hole destroyer" but am working to make my net black hole count positive.
Selected Awards
- MacArthur Fellowship, 2025
- Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, 2025
- New Horizons Solvay Lecturer in Physics, 2025
- IAU Ph.D. Prize, Stars and Stellar Physics Division, 2022
- Mary Elizabeth Uhl Dissertation Prize, Berkeley, 2021
- Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award, Berkeley, 2021
Selected Awards
- MacArthur Fellowship, 2025
- Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, 2025
- New Horizons Solvay Lecturer in Physics, 2025
- IAU Ph.D. Prize, Stars and Stellar Physics Division, 2022
- Mary Elizabeth Uhl Dissertation Prize, Berkeley, 2021
- Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award, Berkeley, 2021
PhD Thesis: Binary stars across the Milky Way: Probes of star formation and evolution
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Ay 111 abc. Introduction to Current Astrophysics Research.
1 unit (1-0-0); first, second terms, 2025-26.
This course is intended primarily for first-year Ay graduate students, although participation is open and encouraged. Students are required to attend seminar-style lectures given by astrophysics faculty members and other researchers. The intent of the course is for students to gain an understanding of the breadth of astrophysics research that is conducted at Caltech, and to learn about potential research opportunities, as well as different career paths in astronomy. Credit is also given for attending the weekly astronomy colloquia. At the end of each term, students are required to summarize in oral or written form (at the discretion of the instructor), one of the covered subjects that drew their interest.
Part c not offered 2025-26.
Instructors: Djorgovski, El-Badry
Instructors: Djorgovski, El-Badry
Ay 125. High-Energy Astrophysics.
9 units (3-0-6); second term, 2025-26.
Prerequisites: Ph 106 and Ph 125 or equivalent (undergraduates).
High-energy astrophysics, the final stages of stellar evolution; supernovae, binary stars, accretion disks, pulsars; extragalactic radio sources; active galactic nuclei; black holes.
Instructors: Kasliwal, El-Badry
Instructors: Kasliwal, El-Badry