Dark Skies, Dark Stars, Dark Matter: A Conversation on the Dark Universe

Sponsoring advanced research across the disciplines via a Fellowship Program with 20 residential scholars each year, and public conferences promoting academic, cultural, and scientific exchange.Annual Report

The Italian Academy of Columbia University

To mark International Women’s Day and Women's History Month 2026, the Academy brings together outstanding women astrophysicists

Italian Academy, Columbia University

Three scientists in conversationPart of the Italian Academy program <a href="https://italianacademy.columbia.edu/content/women-leaders-now-annual-events-womens-history-month-and-international-womens-day" title="https://italianacademy.columbia.edu/content/women-leaders-now-annual-events-womens-history-month-and-international-womens-day" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Women Leaders Now—Annual Events for Women's History Month and International Women's Day</a>Opening Remarks: Barbara Faedda (Executive Director of the Italian Academy, Columbia University)Speakers:Elena Aprile (Centennial Professor of Physics; Director of the Italian Academy, Columbia University) On Dark MatterJanna Levin (Claire Tow Professor of Physics &amp; Astronomy, Barnard College) On Black HolesAngela V. Olinto (Provost, Rutherfurd Professor of Astronomy and Professor of Physics, Columbia University) On the Dark Universe<h3> </h3>ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTSElena Aprile, Columbia's Centennial Professor of Physics, has served as the Director of the Italian Academy since July 1, 2025. An experimental particle physicist, she has been at Columbia University since 1986 and is the founder and spokesperson of the XENON Dark Matter Experiment, a world-leading project to discover the origin of the elusive dark matter in the universe. She received her degrees from the University of Naples, Italy, and the University of Geneva, Switzerland. She was a postdoctoral scholar at Harvard University before joining the faculty at Columbia. Professor Aprile is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Fellow of the American Physical Society. She is the 2019 recipient of the Lancelot Berkeley Prize of the American Astronomical Society and the 2021 recipient of the Enrico Fermi Prize of the Italian Physical Society.Janna Levin joined the Barnard faculty in January 2004. Professor Levin's research focuses on theories of the early universe, chaos, and black holes. She is also interested in the topology of the universe and the question of whether or not the universe is infinite. Other research topics include the cosmology of extra dimensions and string cosmology. Professor Levin has conducted research at the Center for Particle Astrophysics (CfPA) at University of California, Berkeley, as well as the department of applied mathematics and theoretical physics, Cambridge University, U.K. While in England, she also had an appointment as the first scientist-in-residence at the Ruskin School of Fine Art and Drawing at Oxford, supported by an award from the National Endowment for Science, Technology, and Arts (NESTA). Professor Levin writes and publishes for both scientific and general audiences. Her novel, A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines, won the PEN/Bingham Fellowship for Writers, an award which "honors an exceptionally talented fiction writer whose debut work ... represents distinguished literary achievement..." and the Mary Shelley Award for Outstanding Fictional Work. It was a runner-up for the PEN/Hemingway Award for "a distinguished book of first fiction." She is also the author of three popular science books, How the Universe Got Its Spots: Diary of a Finite Time in a Finite Space, Black Hole Blues, and most recently, Black Hole Survival Guide.Angela V. Olinto, Rutherfurd Professor of Astronomy, Professor of Physics and Provost of Columbia University, is the University’s chief academic officer, guiding strategic academic priorities including cross-school initiatives and the oversight of schools, institutes, and academic resources. A distinguished astrophysicist, she is renowned for her pioneering work on neutron stars, cosmic magnetic ﬁelds, cosmic inflation theory, and the origin of the highest energy cosmic particles, serving as Principal Investigator of major international space missions such as POEMMA and EUSO. Prior to joining Columbia in 2024, she was Dean of Physical Sciences and Albert A. Michelson Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago, where she also chaired the department of Astronomy and Astrophysics. Olinto is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, and has received numerous honors, including the Brazilian Order of Rio Branco medal. She holds a BS in Physics from Pontifícia Universidade Católica of Rio de Janeiro and a PhD in Physics from MIT.Doors open 30 minutes before the starting time. Registration does not guarantee a seat; registrants are seated first-come, first served. This event is in-person only. Visit <a href="https://italianacademy.columbia.edu/" title="https://italianacademy.columbia.edu/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">The Italian Academy</a> to read more about this and other events, and all our initiatives.

Dark Skies, Dark Stars, Dark Matter: A Conversation on the Dark Universe

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Dark Skies, Dark Stars, Dark Matter: A Conversation on the Dark Universe

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