Smita Mathur, PhD, Professor of Astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences, has earned The Ohio State University 2024 Distinguished Scholar Award. Senior leadership in the Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge recently honored Mathur at a department meeting.
“I have been very blessed with the mentors and mentees I’ve had throughout the years. I learn so much from each and every one of you,” Mathur said upon learning of her honor. “I feel very lucky, that as a scientist, we get to do things we love to do.”
Mathur uses powerful X-ray telescopes to study the flows of matter around supermassive black holes and the tenuous hot gas in the outer reaches of galaxies and in the vast spaces between them.
“Dr. Mathur’s body of work in astrophysics and astronomy distinguishes her at a national and international level,” said Peter Mohler, executive vice president for research, innovation and knowledge. “Her infectious enthusiasm for science and discovery is evident not only in how she collaborates with scholars on all levels around the world, but also simply in the way she describes her work.”
“External reviewers who commented on your record praised your originality, your risk-taking, and the distinction you bring to an already strong department,” said David Horn, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Thank you for not just bringing distinction, but joy to everything you do.”
“In her 25 years at Ohio State, Smita has expanded our department’s astronomical horizons, as well as her own,” said David Weinberg, chair of the Department of Astronomy in his nomination letter.
Mathur’s most noted work revealed a halo of million-degree gas surrounding the stellar disk of the Milky Way galaxy, extending hundreds of thousands of light years, with a total mass exceeding that of all the Milky Way’s stars. She has discovered similar hot gas halos around other galaxies, and her recent Milky Way studies reveal still hotter, ten-million-degree gas. Mathur joined Ohio State’s astronomy department as a research scientist in 1999, was appointed as an associate professor in 2002 and was appointed full professor in 2008. Prior to Ohio State, Mathur was an associate of Harvard College Observatory and an astrophysicist at High Energy Astrophysics Division (HEAD) at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. She earned her doctorate at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and her master’s in physics at the Indian Institute of Technology.
The Distinguished Scholar Award is among the highest annual honors awarded at Ohio State. The university-level award annually honors six faculty members who demonstrate scholarly activity, conduct research or creative works that represent exceptional achievements in their fields and garner distinction for the university.
Award recipients are nominated by their departments and chosen by a committee of senior faculty, including past award recipients. Distinguished Scholars receive an honorarium and a research grant to be used over the next three years.
Quotes from Mathur’s nomination:
“Smita is an internationally renowned and highly productive scientist and expert in multiple fields of astronomy related to active galaxies and the super-massive black holes which power the tremendous energy output of these, the most luminous sources in the universe, and of the galaxies in which they reside…She is responsible for a number of major discoveries that have resulted in significant and ground-breaking changes in our understanding of these powerful celestial sources.” Belinda J. Wilkes, University of Bristol (England).
“Success requires extreme care to correct for possible instrumental effects and biases. Prof. Mathur is especially notable for the patience and persistence required to overcome these many technical challenges to get the desired answer. Which is: yes, our Milky Way is surrounded by a large reservoir of hot gas, just as predicted, and this reservoir may be massive enough to account for all the Galaxy’s missing mass. These statements would not be possible without Prof. Mathur’s leadership of her international collaboration and persistence in winning highly competitive telescope time consistently over many years.” Jason Tumlinson, Johns Hopkins University.
“Colleagues in several institutes mentioned with awe and appreciation how Smita manages to behold the pristine joy of ‘finding things out’ like a budding undergrad even after her decades-long experience in Astronomy. I agree with that as a witness! I have seen very few people in academia who are as pragmatic, passionate, and positive-minded as her, making her a great mentor and an excellent example for rising scientists.” Sanskriti Das, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics & Cosmology postdoctoral fellow.