Ragadeepika Pucha
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University of Arizona (PhD)
Ragadeepika Pucha | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1993 (age 32–33) Tenali, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Alma mater | Visva-Bharati University (MSc) University of Arizona (PhD) |
| Known for | Shape of the universe, Dwarf galaxy, black hole, DESI |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astrophysics |
| Institutions | Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research University of Arizona University of Utah |
| Thesis | Dwarf Galaxies as Probes of Galaxy Evolution (2023) |
| Doctoral advisor | Stéphanie Juneau and Arjun Dey |
Ragadeepika Pucha (born c. 1993) is an Indian physicist and astronomer who made important contributions to the understanding of black hole formation and galaxy evolution, particularly of dwarf galaxies.[1][2] A doctorate in astronomy and astrophysics from the University of Arizona, Tucson, US, she is a researcher at the university's Steward Observatory and simultaneously a post-doctoral scientist at the University of Utah.[3] She leads a team of scientists from different parts of the world in the study of galaxy evolution using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science stationed at Tucson. Her breakthrough came in 2022, while a doctoral student and project manager, when her team identified 7.5 million galaxies uncharted before by which the largest 3D map of the universe (at the time) was created.[4] In 2025, her research, reported in The Astrophysical Journal,[5] identified the largest number of dwarf galaxies including 2,800 black holes (300 intermediate-mass black holes and 2,500 active black holes).[6]