Theoretical astrophysicist Debarati Chatterjee has always viewed gender for what it is: a social construct. Despite witnessing domestic violence as a child, being sexually harassed as an undergraduate and graduate student, and being one of the small fraction (about 20%) of female astronomers in the world, she did not let her gender define her career.
After leaving her home country of India to take up a postdoctoral position in Germany in 2010, she saw that prejudices based on race, class and gender also existed in the international scientific community. Chatterjee works in the emerging field of gravitational wave science, which is dominated by men. She studies neutron stars—the superdense cores that remain after the collapse of massive stars—by observing gravitational waves, or ripples, in the fabric of spacetime. This approach combines several disciplines, including nuclear, particle and condensed matter physics.
Upon returning to India in 2020, she joined the Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune. The 45-year-old was promoted to full professor in June, becoming the first woman to be awarded the position in the institution's 37-year history. Her research team creates complex theoretical models to unravel the mystery of the internal composition of neutron stars.
She also wants to see more women in science fields, especially astrophysics, and in various positions aimed at promoting gender equality. She was a core member of the IUCAA Anti-Sexual Harassment Committee and was on the Astronomical Society of India's working group on gender equality, for which she helped lead campaigns highlighting the pioneering work of Indian women scientists. An avid science communicator, this year Chatterjee opened the Indian chapter of the Pint of Science festival – an annual festival that brings scientists to pubs and cafes to share their latest research – in three cities this year. Chatterjee also popularized the science behind the planned Laser Interferometric Gravitational-Wave Observatory in India (LIGO-India), to be built in a rural area called Hingoli. By giving lectures at schools, universities and astronomy clubs across India, she helps inspire girls and young women to become scientists.
Chatterjee spoke to Nature about how she overcame sexual harassment to become an astrophysicist, and why she promotes gender and racial diversity in her field.
What great passion drives you as a scientist?
Curiosity and adventure have always driven me. Since childhood, I have been obsessed with finding solutions and will not rest until I get to the root of the problem. I'm excited by the fact that science can solve extremely complex problems that can take a lifetime to solve. Even for a man like Einstein, mysteries in areas such as quantum physics and general relativity were too difficult to solve during his lifetime. While studying at St. Xavier's College, Kolkata, my summer project at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) focused on understanding how the Sun rotates, a question that remains unanswered. That's when I fell in love with how the academic world works.
When I went to IIA, I realized that I don't have to work from 9 to 5. I saw some researchers waking up at 10 am and working past midnight and then leaving until the morning to play badminton. I was very attracted to this lifestyle. Also, visiting observatories like the Vainu Bappu Observatory in Tamil Nadu, located in the middle of a forest, seemed like an adventure for which I was prepared for the rest of my life.
Debarati Chatterjee (front row, second from right) with students at the Pint of Science outreach event.Photo: Kshitij Parshetti/Pint of Science India
When did you realize you wanted to fight racism and sexism in science?
There have been countless times in my professional life when I have encountered unfriendly racist or sexist attitudes. I remember one incident when I was a postdoc abroad. A lab visitor made an incorrect statement during the workshop, and I pointed it out. While I was having this conversation, several employees of my institute left the room in protest at my interrogation of the visitor. Disrespectful microaggressions like these were an everyday occurrence.
As a foreigner, if I didn't speak the local language, I would be left out during important conversations, which sometimes happened when researchers were communicating. Many of my peers would have given up and gone into isolation. Instead, I learned to speak five languages so fluently that I could give interviews in them. Adapting to new research areas and work environments is critical for all early-career researchers, and often individuals need to be fully recognized for their contributions and achievements. Nowadays, there are reception centers that help international students solve such problems.
On other occasions, when I took part in official inquiries into why there were so few women in nuclear and particle physics, I heard the director of the institute ask, “Why is it taking so long?” This experience motivated me to stand up for myself and work towards diversity, equity and inclusion to set an example for others who may not speak up due to a lack of support. I heard from leading female theoretical physicists about how difficult their journey has been and why it is necessary to speak out.
How have you dealt with racism or discrimination in your personal and professional life?
During my PhD, I encountered many cases of sexual harassment by a senior researcher. I had no choice but to continue my studies because my living expenses depended on the scholarship. This man often told me that I was not good enough and that my work was unimportant. The overwhelming pressure of the situation plunged me into clinical depression and I had to see a therapist. I also filed a complaint with the department chair, who advised me to focus on finishing my degree since I was close to finishing my dissertation. Two decades ago, there were almost no female theoretical physicists at my university, and no office to complain to. At that time, I even practiced martial arts for self-defense.
Towards the end of my PhD, I won a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), which gave me and my work international exposure and helped me build a wide network of collaborations. So I became an independent researcher who did not have to rely on any senior scientist to advance me.
