Bindu Rani had childhood dreams of flight. Today she lifts her gaze even higher, helping researchers study stars, planets beyond our solar system, and black holes billions of times more massive than our Sun.
Name: Bindu Rani
Title: Astrophysicist, Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory Guest Investigator Program Lead Scientist
Organization: Astroparticle Physics Laboratory, Science Directorate (Code 661)
What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard?
I study supermassive black holes using both space-based and ground-based observations. I love trying to understand the dynamics and nature of physical processes that happen in the vicinity of a black hole.
Why did you become an astrophysicist?
When I was a little girl, I wanted to fly way up in the sky and be a pilot. When I was doing my master’s, I got interested in black holes and neutron stars. I was so fascinated that I decided to pursue this field.
What is your educational background?
In 2005, I got a bachelor’s degree in science from Government College Bahadurgarh, India. In 2007, I got a master’s degree in in physics from the Department of Physics and Astrophysics, Delhi University, India. In 2013, I got a doctorate in astrophysics from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, Bonn, Germany. From 2014 to 2016, I was a post-doctoral fellow at Max Plank.
How did you come to Goddard?
In 2016, I came to Goddard through NASA’s Postdoctoral Fellowship program.
From 2020 to 2022, I worked at the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute in South Korea as a staff scientist. I can say please and thank you in Korean, but everyone in the lab and the young students spoke English and loved practicing English.
In September 2022, I returned to Goddard as the Swift Guest Investigator Program lead scientist.
You have lived in India, South Korea, Germany, and now the United States. What are your favorite aspects of each country?
The best thing about India is that my family is there, and I deeply miss them. All my happy memories are in one small town along with my parents, siblings, and friends. I deeply miss Indian food too. My family and I visit India whenever we can.
I love South Korean food. What motivated me in the mornings was their delicious coffee and cafeteria food. I miss their culture, so warm and welcoming. When I left, there was a hole in my heart.
Life in Germany is amazing. They have the best work life balance. Also, I miss German bread and beer.
What are your goals as the Swift Guest Investigator Program lead?
I lead the program, including managing the proposals, staffing the program, conducting reviews, and supporting the users. Swift is an amazing mission because it provides X-rays and ultraviolet to optical observations of all different kinds of astronomical objects including exoplanets, stars, dwarf stars, and black holes up to millions to billions of solar masses.
How do you keep your people motivated?
Our work is super interesting which itself is motivating. My idea is that if you want the best out of people, you have to make them comfortable. I try to apply this both at work and at home.
How do you feel when you discover a black hole?
Swift observes radiation from many black holes ranging in size from a few solar masses (that is, a few times the mass of our Sun) to billions of solar masses. In the vicinity of black holes, infalling material heats up and emits radiation. In some cases, black holes consuming dust and gas at the center of galaxies produce jets — a laser-like beam of light that we observe with our telescopes.
When we have a new discovery, it is very exciting, and many observations follow using many different ground and space telescopes. For example, the brightest of all time gamma-ray burst (BOAT GRB), which is likely the birth cry of a new black hole, was jointly discovered by Swift and the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope on Oct. 9, 2022. It was subsequently observed by about 50 space- and ground-based telescopes.
What is the most amazing observation you have seen from a black hole?
Black holes are extremely fascinating astronomical objects to study and to test our theoretical models in extreme gravity environments. I believe the most amazing observation is the first image of a black hole itself. In 2019, the first direct image of a black hole at the center of galaxy M87 confirmed the existence of black holes, marking a historic milestone in astrophysics.
Who inspires you?
Most of my inspiration comes from my own curiosity and from the fact that I am very determined. My family is my true inspiration, especially my parents. They were motivating in many different ways. My parents are really hard working. They are very proud of me.
What do you say to the people you mentor?
I tell them to keep learning, to enjoy what they are doing even if it feels hard. I them to stay curious. I also tell them to strengthen their speaking, writing and coding skills to become a good scientists. As my doctorate advisor told me, you have to learn how to sell yourself.
As an avid reader, who is your favorite author?
Books bring me peace. I enjoy reading books in Hindi, by an Indian author called Munsi Prem Chand, who wrote about social fiction. I am currently reading Laura Markam’s “Peaceful Parents, Happy Kids” because I have a young child.
What else do you do to relax?
I like to run and practice yoga. Mostly either I work or spend time with my child.
What is it like for both you and your husband to both work at Goddard?
My husband, Pankaj Kumar, is a heliophysicist in the Space Weather Laboratory (Code 674). We met in India, and both found jobs at Goddard. It is so wonderful to be at the same working institute. At home, we try not to discuss work. But our child is very curious and asks us a lot of questions about our research. Our child wants to become a NASA scientist, which he calls a NASA professor.
What do you value most about working at Goddard?
Goddard has the best work culture. Everyone is so open and friendly. I can just knock on any door and will be able to talk. The open communication puts you at ease.
Also, Goddard has a lot of women researchers in lead positions. Goddard values women.
How do you describe yourself?
I am a girl who came from a small village in India and am now at Goddard. I dreamed about going to space one day and now I am doing research at Goddard. My family’s support mattered. My own strong-willed nature helped too. At this stage, my curiosity and love of challenges continues to motivate me. Several factors in my life got me to where I am.
Who do you want to thank?
I am grateful to the people who believed in me (my family, friends, and colleagues) as well as those who tried to hinder me.
What’s your “big dream”?
I want to be an astronaut. When I was doing my master’s, I became interested in being an astronaut.
By Elizabeth M. Jarrell
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.