Season 5 Episode 2: Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

Chanda Prescod -Weinstein is an Assistant Professor of Physics and Core Faculty Member in Women’s Studies at the University of New Hampshire, and like anyone, she has an origin story and a mission. She is a monthly columnist at New Scientist and a contributing columnist at Physics World. Read about why she co-led the call for a June 10, 2020 Strike for Black Lives at the Particles for Justice website.
Her work lives at the intersection of particle physics and astrophysics, and while she is primarily a theoretical researcher, she maintains strong ties to astronomy. She is a topical convenor for Dark Matter: Cosmic Probes in the Snowmass 2021 process, and she is lead axion wrangler for the NASA STROBE-X Probe Concept Study. Using ideas from both physics and astronomy, she responds to deep questions about how everything in the universe got to be the way it is. She also does research on feminist science studies and believes we all have the right to know the universe.
The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred, her popular science book which draws from her experience and knowledge as a Black woman theoretical physicist, was released on March 9, 2021.
She was named as one of 10 people who helped shape science in 2020 as part of Nature’s 10, and is the 2021 American Physical Society Edward A. Bouchet Award recipient, with the citation:
“For contributions to theoretical cosmology and particle physics, ranging from axion physics to models of inflation to alternative models of dark energy, for tireless efforts in increasing inclusivity in physics, and for co-creating the Particles for Justice movement.”
Essence Magazine recognized her as one of 15 Black Women Who Are Paving the Way in STEM and Breaking Barriers, and VICE Motherboard recognized her as one of their Humans2020. Her personal story and ideas have been featured in several venues, including Tech Crunch, Huffington Post, Gizmodo, Nylon, and the African-American Intellectual History Society.
On March 15, 2017, she received the 2017 LGBT+ Physicists Acknowledgement of Excellence Award “For Years of Dedicated Effort in Changing Physics Culture to be More Inclusive and Understanding Toward All Marginalized Peoples.”

This podcast was recorded on August 31st, 2021.