Astronomer Mor Rozner Receives 2026 Gruber Fellowship

Mor Rozner, Kovner Member (2024–27) in the School of Natural Sciences, is one of three "promising early-career astronomers" to have been awarded a 2026 Gruber Fellowship from The Gruber Foundation in collaboration with the International Astronomical Union (IAU). 

The fellowship will support Rozner's ongoing exploration of the dynamics of astrophysical environments that are rich in gas. Specifically, she focuses on several types of gas-rich environments: protoplanetary disks, which are disks made of mostly gas and some dust where new planets form around young stars; AGN disks, which are massive disks of material spiraling into the supermassive black holes at the centers of active galaxies; and gas-rich clusters, where gas fills the space between stars.

Using advanced mathematics and computer models, Rozner studies how gas affects the formation and lifespan of "binaries"—pairs of massive objects, like stars or black holes, that orbit each other. Because surrounding gas can push these paired objects to interact and eventually merge, her work helps explain the origins of gravitational waves (invisible ripples in space and time caused by massive cosmic collisions) that are picked up by observatories like LIGO.

Reflecting on the recognition, Rozner emphasized her enthusiasm for the work ahead. "I am excited and honored to receive this fellowship," she noted, adding that she is "even more excited to keep doing the research I enjoy, here at the Institute."

Read more about the 2026 Gruber Fellowships on the IAU website.