Mansi Kasliwal becomes 1st woman to head Caltech's Palomar Observatory

California Institute of Technology ( Caltech ) has appointed Prof Mansi Manoj Kasliwal as director of Palomar Observatory , making her the first woman and the second PIO to lead the facility. Shrinivas Kulkarni (2006-18) was the first PIO to head the observatory, located atop Palomar Mountain in north San Diego, California.

Palomar Observatory is home to three active research telescopes: the 5.1m Hale Telescope, the 1.2m Samuel Oschin Telescope, and the 1.5m telescope. Research there is conducted by a wide community of astronomers from Caltech and other domestic and international partner institutions.

Kasliwal, a professor of astronomy at Caltech, is internationally recognised for her pioneering work on explosive cosmic events such as supernovae and colliding neutron stars. In 2022, she received New Horizons in Physics Prize for her leadership in electromagnetic follow-ups of cosmic phenomena.

Born in Indore, Kasliwal moved to the US at 15. She earned her bachelor's degree from Cornell University in 2005 and completed her PhD in astronomy at Caltech in 2011. After postdoctoral research at Carnegie Observatories, she returned to Caltech, where she is now a tenured professor.

The Kasliwal research group at Palomar Observatory focuses on discovering and characterising "cosmic fireworks" - brilliant flashes of light that reveal the lifecycle of stars and the synthesis of elements. "Our primary discovery engines are two robotic, wide-field infrared and optical cameras at Palomar Observatory. We collaborate with astronomers worldwide to panchromatically characterise the discoveries across the electromagnetic spectrum. We pursue a multi-messenger quest to identify electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave events," Kasliwal's description on the Palomar Observatory website reads.

Her research centres on transient astronomy, the study of rapidly changing cosmic phenomena. She leads Global Relay of Observatories Watching Transients Happen (GROWTH) project, which coordinates a worldwide network of telescopes to capture fleeting cosmic events.

Kasliwal also played a key role in designing Palomar Transient Factory and Zwicky Transient Facility, both of which have uncovered thousands of supernovae and other astronomical phenomena.

Her contributions extend to multi-messenger astronomy, including crucial follow-up observations of gravitational waves detected by Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. She has also developed infrared-sensitive telescopes that reveal the chemistry and evolution of cosmic explosions. Beyond her , Kasliwal is noted for mentoring researchers and working to increase representation in astrophysics.