María Teresa Ruiz

María Teresa Ruiz (born 24 September 1946) is a Chilean astronomer who was the first woman to receive Chile's National Prize for Exact Sciences, the first female recipient of a doctorate in astrophysics at Princeton University, and the first woman president of the Chilean Academy of Sciences. She is also known for the discovery of the brown dwarf Kelu-1.

In 2018, she was listed as one of the top 10 most powerful and influential women in Chile owing to her scientific contributions.

During her career she has written two books about astronomy: Desde Chile un cielo estrellado: lecturas para fascinarse con la astronomía (2013) and Hijos de las Estrellas (2017).

Early life and education Ruiz was born in Santiago de Chile in 1946. In 1966, Ruiz started a program in chemical engineering at the University of Chile but found her vocation in attending an astronomy summer school: she continued her studies in the newly founded astronomy program at the University of Chile and was the first person to graduate the program, in 1971.

Career and research In 1975, upon completing her thesis work with Martin Schwarzschild, Ruiz became the first woman to obtain a PhD in astrophysics at Princeton University.

In 1997 she became the first woman in Chile's history to receive the country's National Prize for Exact Sciences.

Selected works

Desde Chile un cielo estrellado: lecturas para fascinarse con la astronomía (2013) She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2017. Legion of Honour, Chevalier class (Knight)

Personal life Ruiz' hobby is embroidery. She is capable of embroidering whole portraits of people and families, such as her own. She started the hobby when she went to study abroad: she wanted to remember her family, so she embroidered a family portrait to bring her loved ones with her.

She is married to the Chilean scientist and professor Fernando Lund. In 1980, they had a son named Camilo who is now a civil engineer.