Dr. Jedidah Isler '03
Dr. Jedidah Isler is a true leader in the education field. Astrophysicist, educator, futurist, legislator, and strategist Dr. Jedidah Isler is committed to leveraging science and technology to advance social justice. She became the first African American woman to finish her Ph.D. in astrophysics at Yale University and is happy to have graduated from both NSU and Fisk, two HBCUs. Before focusing on science policy and joining the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP), she carried on with her award-winning research on hyperactive supermassive black holes while teaching at Dartmouth College.
With that being said, to inspire and promote a more egalitarian future where everyone can engage in, contribute to, and benefit from science and technology, she has worked extensively with educational institutions, universities, nonprofits, and planetariums across the nation. She and her family reside in the DMV. She is a well-known public speaker across the country, and her work has been featured on many radio and television shows, such as TED Radio Hour and All Things Considered on NPR, How the Universe Works on the Science Channel, the feature miniseries MARS on National Geographic, and Pod Save the People on Crooked Media. Her accomplishments continue to add to the enduring legacy of the university.