Throwback Thursday: Pakistan’s First Female Astrophysics Ph.D. (Synopsis)

“One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.” –Joan of Arc

In 2012, I had the honor and the privilege to learn about Mariam Sultana, the first woman in Pakistan to be awarded a Ph.D. degree in astrophysics. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I was able to contact her and obtain permission for an exclusive interview, for which I solicited questions for her from all over the globe.

Image credit: The Express Tribune with the International Herald Tribune, http://tribune.com.pk/. Image credit: The Express Tribune with the International Herald Tribune, http://tribune.com.pk/.

What I found in the course of the interview -- and in the aftermath -- was not merely someone with an amazing story who achieved great things, nor merely someone who did good work that they loved. I found what turned out to be a remarkable person, and one that I'm glad to be in contact with three years later.

Image credit: S. N. Nuritdinov, K. T. Mirtadjieva and Mariam Sultana. Image credit: S. N. Nuritdinov, K. T. Mirtadjieva and Mariam Sultana.

Come explore the whole interview, her follow-up, and learn what she's been up to since!

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