Stony Brook University Professor Neelima Sehgal has been named a 2025 Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS). The APS Fellowship is awarded to members who have made notable contributions to physics through research, innovation, teaching, and service within the organization.
Professor Sehgal, who works in the College of Arts and Sciences at Stony Brook, specializes in theoretical and observational cosmology. Her research focuses on topics such as dark matter, dark energy, the origins of the Universe, and its particle makeup. She uses observations from the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), which is light dating back nearly 14 billion years.
Sehgal spent two decades analyzing data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope in Chile. She is now participating in work with the Simons Observatory and serves as Principal Investigator for CMB-HD, a proposed next-generation CMB observatory aimed at mapping dark matter on small scales and studying the early Universe’s thermal particles.
“I am deeply grateful for this recognition from my APS colleagues, and delighted to join the distinguished group of Stony Brook Physics and Astronomy faculty who are APS fellows,” said Professor Sehgal.
David Wrobel, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Stony Brook University, also commented on her achievement: “My sincere congratulations to Professor Neelima Sehgal on this truly significant achievement. Her pioneering work on a cosmic microwave background observatory is pivotal in expanding our understanding of the fundamental physics of the Universe. We are fortunate and proud to have such an exceptional theoretical and observational cosmologist working to advance our university and the frontiers of science.”
Sehgal earned her undergraduate degree from Yale University and completed her PhD at Rutgers University. She held postdoctoral fellowships at Stanford University and Princeton University before joining Stony Brook University in 2012. She currently resides in East Setauket, New York.