Space & Data Scientist · Scientific Research Mentor
Advancing the understanding of how galaxies and the large structures of the Universe form and evolve over cosmic time.
Dr. Ekta Shah studies galaxies and galaxy clusters in the early universe. Her research examines how galaxy interactions and large-scale environments influence star formation rates and supermassive black hole activity, shaping the growth of galaxies over cosmic time.
Using observations from major ground- and space-based telescopes together with cosmological simulations, she investigates how small-scale physical processes connect to the largest cosmic environments. Galaxy clusters — the "megacities" of galaxies — are among the most massive gravitationally bound structures in the universe. Her work explores how these dense environments influence galaxy evolution across billions of years.
During her post-doctoral research, Dr. Shah discovered six galaxy protostructures in the early universe and named them after the six senses in Indian languages — Drishti, Shravan, Surabhi, Ruchi, Sparsh, and Smruti — which are now referenced by research groups across the United States and Europe. This discovery represents a significant contribution to understanding how large-scale cosmic structures emerged in the early universe.
Her research has been supported by NASA during both her doctoral and postdoctoral work. She has served as a subject matter expert on NASA peer review panels, and her publications appear in leading international scientific journals, presented at conferences in Italy, Netherlands, and Iceland. She also serves as a reviewer for many international astronomy journals.
Originally from Anand, Gujarat, India, Dr. Shah's academic journey took her from India to leading research institutions in the United States. She spent nine years conducting advanced research there, including NASA-supported work and international collaborations. She is part of many international astronomy collaborations and continues her research in extra-galactic and large structure astronomy.
She was awarded the prestigious LSSTC Data Science Fellowship for advanced research using large astronomical datasets.
Dr. Shah's research has been published in leading international peer-reviewed astronomy journals and presented at conferences worldwide — including in Italy, the Netherlands, and Iceland. She also serves as a reviewer for many international astronomy journals.
Her work spans galaxy evolution, galaxy clusters, star formation, and supermassive black hole activity in the early universe.
View PublicationsGet in Touch
Whether you're interested in research collaboration, science mentorship, science sessions for institutions, keynote lectures, or media inquiries — drop your details below and she'll be in touch.