Neta Bahcall

Neta Bahcall (; born 1942) is an Israeli She received a B.S. in physics and mathematics at Hebrew University in Israel in 1963. In 1965, she received her Master's in physics at the Weizmann Institute of Science. In 1970, Bahcall received her Ph.D. in astrophysics at the University of Tel Aviv. the Space Telescope Institute Council (1993-1997), the U.S. National Committee to IAU (1998-2004), the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (1990-1995), the American Institute of Physics Committee on International Relations (1990–1993), and was the chair of the AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy. She received an honorary doctorate from Ohio State University in 2006.

Personal life

Neta was married to John Bahcall, who was a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study and also an astrophysicist, until his death in 2005. The two were frequent collaborators, publishing over 20 refereed papers as co-authors. John and Neta Bahcall had three children, all of whom earned doctorates in the sciences.

When asked about her religious views and belief in God, Bahcall stated: "I am not very religious, but am very Jewish... I combine the science that I do with the religion's question about God in the sense that all the laws of physics that created the Universe and the enormous amount of beauty in the Universe represent the connection to God."

Awards and honors

Awarded the Henry Norris Russell Lectureship by the American Astronomical Society in January 2024 Elected a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society in 2020 The Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin Prize, Harvard University (2013) Distinguished Research Chair, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Ontario, Canada (2009 -2013) Honorary Degree, Doctor of Science, Ohio State University (2006) Member, National Academy of Sciences, USA (elected 1997)

Selected works