Mansi M. Kasliwal
California Institute of Technology
Palomar Observatory, CA USA
"Even though plan A didn’t find what I was looking for, there were other questions that I could answer with the same data and other things that I wasn’t looking for that I ran into in the process of reaching the goal. Enjoy the journey."
Career Roadmap
Mansi M.'s work combines: Science, Environment & Nature, and Learning / Being Challenged
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I had to let that noise fade away into the background and only focus on what was giving me joy.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Engineering Physics/Applied Physics
Cornell University
Graduate Degree
Astronomy
California Institute of Technology
Doctorate
Astronomy
California Institute of Technology
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
Grew up on a farm in a small village in India—left home at the age of fifteen to come to the U.S. to pursue her passion for science.
2.
Was the first person in her family to pursue a career in the sciences—says she often felt like the “black sheep” in the family, but they always supported her.
3.
Even though she had support from her family, she encountered a lot of negativity from her community in India for her decision to leave.
4.
Her love for astronomy was sparked as an undergraduate after witnessing the launch of the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope and being part of the discovery team that analyzed the data.
5.
Says that her Ph.D. dissertation work was actually “plan D”—she chose a risky topic that failed many times, but she made the commitment to embrace her curiosity and challenge herself.
6.
Was a NASA Hubble Fellow and completed her postdoctoral work with a joint appointment at the Carnegie Institution for Science and Princeton University.
7.
Currently works as an assistant professor of astronomy at Caltech studying the dynamic universe; uses a network of telescopes continuously recording the night sky to study changes in the universe.
8.
She has also conducted research with GROWTH, which is a five year project funded by the National Science Foundation to advance our understanding of cosmic events.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
You are just a girl, you can't go to America to go to school. You won't succeed.
How I responded:
I had to let that noise fade away into the background and only focus on what was giving me joy.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I left India by myself when I was 15 to come to the U.S. in order to go to school.