Professor Dr. Feryal Özel is a scientist working in theoretical astrophysics with research focused on black holes and neutron stars. She completed her education in the United States and continues her academic career in this field. As part of international collaborations, she participated in the Event Horizon Telescope project and contributed to the imaging of black holes.

Educational Background

Feryal Özel was born in Istanbul in 1975. Her interest in science and mathematics began at an early age. After completing her secondary education at Üsküdar American High School, she decided to continue her studies abroad. She earned her undergraduate degree from Columbia University, one of the most prestigious universities in the United States, with a double major in physics and applied mathematics.

Master’s and Doctoral Studies

After completing her undergraduate studies, Feryal Özel began her master’s and doctoral research in theoretical astrophysics at Harvard University. During her doctoral work, she focused on compact stars particularly neutron stars and black holes.

During this period, she developed theoretical models examining how radiation behaves under intense gravity, the relationship between stellar magnetic fields and emission, and the behavior of matter at extremely high densities. She successfully completed her doctorate in 2002.

Academic Career and Research Areas

After completing her doctorate, she conducted postdoctoral research at NASA, where she worked on studies that combined observational data with theoretical models of neutron stars. She then continued her academic career at the University of Arizona, where she served as a Professor of Physics and Astronomy.

Özel’s primary research areas include:

• Internal structure of neutron stars
• Black holes and event horizon physics
• Observations with X-ray telescopes
• Astrophysical tests of general relativity

Event Horizon Telescope and the Black Hole Image

Professor Dr. Feryal Özel is a member of the international collaboration project Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). Through this project, radio telescopes from different regions of the world were linked together as a network to observe the event horizon of black holes.

In 2019, the first image of the supermassive black hole at the center of Messier 87 was shared with the public. In this historic achievement, Özel contributed through theoretical modeling and observational data analysis. This development is regarded as one of the most important visual evidences in the history of science.

Scientific Publications and Contributions

Feryal Özel’s research has been published in major scientific journals. Some of her notable publications include:

• "First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results: IV" (2019, Astrophysical Journal Letters)
• → Contributes to the analysis of the black hole image.
• "The Mass and Radius of the Neutron Star in the Rapid Burster" (2010, The Astrophysical Journal)
• → Presents key observations toward understanding the structure of neutron stars.

These works serve as important reference sources for the scientific community seeking answers to fundamental questions about black hole physics and the behavior of dense matter.

Scientific Approach and Science Communication

In addition to her scientific productivity, Professor Dr. Özel is active in science communication. She participates in various platforms to share her experiences with young people, emphasize the role of women in science, and give talks on scientific thinking.

In an interview with TÜBİTAK Bilim Genç, she emphasized that success in science requires not only intelligence but also patience and perseverance. Özel has consistently highlighted the principles of critical thinking, curiosity, and evidence-based verification throughout her career in her assessments of the social dimensions of science.