Sofía Rojas

Sofía Rojas is a postdoctoral researcher who has spent three years at UCLA conducting astronomy research and investigating the universe. She leads a collaboration that uses data from the James Webb Space Telescope to discover new galaxies from the very beginning of the universe and to characterize them in order to understand the evolution of the universe. Ruiz earned a dual bachelor's degree in physics and astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin, where she graduated with honors in both subjects and received multiple honors from the College of Natural Sciences for her undergraduate research and first-author paper on her bachelor's thesis. She completed her PhD in astronomy between Heidelberg University and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany. She also holds a certificate in machine learning from Heidelberg University and certificates from workshops on early universe studies. An active member of the American Astronomical Society, Ruiz attributes her success to consistency and discipline, noting that showing up, asking questions, and networking help professionals stay ahead in a competitive field. She values honesty and communication in her international collaborations and transparency in her personal life, and she encourages young women entering the field to collaborate more with each other to build community and lead big projects.