Mansi M. Kasliwal

Mansi M. Kasliwal

Assistant Professor of Astronomy & Principal Investigator at GROWTH


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.

Videos

By Roadtrip Nation

Mansi M. Kasliwal

Milestones

My road in life has been direct.
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.
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.
Even though she had support from her family, she encountered a lot of negativity from her community in India for her decision to leave.
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.
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.
Was a NASA Hubble Fellow and completed her postdoctoral work with a joint appointment at the Carnegie Institution for Science and Princeton University.
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.
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.
Keep following my journey

Career

Assistant Professor of Astronomy & Principal Investigator at GROWTH

I am an astronomer discovering cosmic fireworks to find where elements are made in our Universe.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Science
Environment & Nature
Learning / Being Challenged

Day to Day

I study the dynamic universe using the giant robotic telescopes at the Palomar Observatory. These telescopes are continuously recording the night sky and I analyze and record any phenomenon that change.

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for everyone

Just go for it! Let curiosity and passion motivate you.

Recommended Education

My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Society in General:

"You are just a girl, you can't go to America to go to school. You won't succeed. "

Challenges I Overcame

First-Generation Immigrant