Evalyn Gates

Evalyn Gates is a theoretical physicist and author who has spent most of her research career deep in the cosmos, happily searching for dark matter, dark energy, neutrinos and white dwarfs. She is also passionate about inviting every curious mind on planet Earth to explore the natural world around us, from our own backyards to the most distant galaxies — and beyond. Her first book, Einstein’s Telescope: The Hunt for Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the Universe, was published by W.W. Norton in February 2009.

Her trek through the academic world began at the College of William & Mary where she did her undergraduate work in physics, followed by an interesting detour through biomedical engineering. Unable to resist the call of the subatomic world, she dove back into physics — earning her Ph.D. at CWRU before moving on to postdoctoral fellowships at Yale University and the University of Chicago, where she eventually joined the research faculty in the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics and the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics.
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Gates has served as the Assistant Director of the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago; Executive Director & CEO of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History; and Vice President for Science & Education at Chicago’s Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum. She is currently an Adjunct Professor of Physics at CWRU and serving on several committees and advisory panels working to address the underrepresentation of women and minorities in science, recognizing that we are missing the ideas, energy and creativity of too many talented individuals who should be encouraged and supported.

Evalyn and her husband Eric have three grown children and live in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado where they spend as much time as possible hiking, skiing and exploring this incredible wilderness. She has summited 9 of Colorado’s 14ers … and counting.