Resolving the singularity: My journey as a Black cosmologist

Synopsis: Cosmology stands as one of the most ancient disciplines known to humanity. Every civilization has wrestled with the profound quest to comprehend our position within the vast expanse of the Universe and to weave our existence into the tapestry of the Cosmos.

It thus raises the question: why do so few minority scholars populate this field?

As the eighth woman to earn a PhD in theoretical physics in the US, and the single black woman in every group König has been a part of, she offers her unique experiences and insight on the current status of the field and how to bridge the racial gap.

Morgane König is a postdoctoral fellow in theoretical cosmology at MIT and at Dartmouth College. Her research focuses on the study of the universe as a whole, from the era of inflation to the present. Born and raised in Paris, she holds an SB in Mathematics and Physics and an MS in Cosmology, both degrees from Pierre and Marie Curie University. In 2021, König earned a PhD in Theoretical Physics from the University of California, Davis, where she worked with Professor Nemanja Kaloper, making her the ninth Black woman to ever complete a doctorate in theoretical physics in the United States, and the first Black student to earn a PhD in physics from UC Davis.

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