ShaniyaÌýJarrett
- 2025 SPEAKER
- SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Shaniya Jarrett is a PhD candidate in astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Maryland, specializing in the application of machine learning to study gravitational waves. She holds a bachelor's degree in astrophysics from the ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ and a master's in physics from Fisk University. Previously, she worked as a satellite test engineer at General Atomics on the $65 million Gazelle spacecraft.
Her research spans several areas, including binary black hole mergers observed by LISA, space instrumentation, and solar wind irregularities. Jarrett has received accolades such as the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and the Heising-Simons Foundation’s Women & Girls in Astronomy Grant.
In addition to her academic work, Jarrett is passionate about STEM outreach. She founded the AstroBeats Project to merge astrophysics with music for middle school students, and has served in leadership roles promoting diversity and inclusivity in STEM, such as her involvement with the Organization of Black Graduate and Professional Students (OBGAPS) and the EMIT program. She is an active member of the LISA Consortium, National Society of Black Physicists and the American Astronomical Society.