When Audrey Lang first looked up at the night sky as a child in Livonia, Michigan, she never imagined she’d one day be researching black holes as part of her Ph.D. in physics. Today, she’s doing just that in the 夜色视频’s Department of Physics, and her passion has recently been recognized on a national scale.
Named an Honorable Mention for the prestigious ), Lang’s work in astrophysics is helping to unlock one of the universe’s most elusive mysteries: intermediate mass black holes.
“They are the missing link,” she said. “We've seen black holes that are anywhere from 1 to 100 times the mass of the sun. Those are easy for us to find. We have also seen the supermassive black holes that are believed to be at the center of every galaxy. But there is a missing range of black hole masses that I'm currently looking at trying to find.”
Lang is studying 12 potential candidates, searching for unique radio light signatures to determine whether they are truly intermediate mass black holes or something else. Her work sits at the edge of discovery.
Being named an Honorable Mention from the NSF GRFP affirms not only the importance of her research but also her potential as a researcher. “The NSF GRFP Honorable Mention is incredibly valuable to me because it acknowledges my potential as an early-career researcher on a national level,” she said. “This recognition boosts my confidence in myself and the work I am doing. It also encourages me to continue not only my research but also my commitment to community outreach.”
Lang’s path to the University wasn’t linear. After completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan in stellar analysis of heavy elements in stars, she applied to graduate programs but wasn’t accepted anywhere. Instead of giving up, she used the setback as fuel.
She moved to Salt Lake City with her partner and began working at the Clark Planetarium, where she shared her love of astronomy with the public.
“That experience gave me perspective on what I wanted to keep in my life and in my career, along with research and academia,” she said.
She continued her research through her undergraduate advisor and, with more experience, reapplied to graduate school, this time earning acceptance into the University’s physics program.
She moved to Reno in June 2023 and immediately found a home in both the mountains and the department.
“I love mountains, I love the Reno area,” Lang said. “The physics department is on the smaller side compared to the one at Michigan, and I love that because I'm able to build those interpersonal relationships that are important for networking and continuing on.”
Her journey to the NSF GRFP began with an email from the Office of Undergraduate (and Graduate) Fellowships about an NSF GRFP workshop. The fellowship, one of the most competitive in the country, recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time research-based master's and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) or in STEM education. The application includes a personal statement and a research proposal.
“For both the personal statement and research proposal they require a broader impact section, which is the ‘How are you willing to help your community?’ ‘How is your research going to help the community?’” Lang said. “I had so many ideas for the broader impact section, such as discussing physics education research.”
Her advisor at the University, Richard Plotkin, Ph.D., was instrumental in guiding her through the process. “He was a huge help. We had a number of conversations and talked over options for where I could take my project in the future,” she said.
Lang’s recognition is especially significant because Nevada is an Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) state. NSF highlights EPSCoR states to encourage more research funding and participation. Each year, one department from the University can apply for the , which awards full GRFP fellowships to students who received Honorable Mentions. Lang hopes her recognition can also contribute to this broader effort to grow scientific research in Nevada.
In addition to her research, Lang is passionate about teaching and outreach.
“I always thought that I wanted to be in academia, be a professor, work at a university, do research, teach classes,” she said. “I TA'd last year in my first year of my Ph.D. program and received the Outstanding TA Award in the Physics department. That was a confidence boost and a sign that I was good at it, too.”
Still, her time at the Clark planetarium left a lasting impression.
“If I take a hiatus and do outreach, I wouldn't be mad,” she said. “Or find somewhere where I could marry the two would be ideal.”
Lang’s love for astrophysics began early, inspired by her father.
“I've known I wanted to be an astrophysicist since I was like 7,” she said. “We had four different telescopes growing up. My dad was a big amateur astronomer. He would take us in the backyard and tell us about all that was out there.”
That early connection still fuels her curiosity today. “Honestly, black holes are so cool,” she said. “Never in a million years did I think I'd get to study them.”
