Wanda Diaz Merced

Dr. Wanda Díaz-Merced is a Puerto Rican astrophysicist, astronomer, and computer scientist known for advancing the use of sonification in astrophysics. After beginning to lose her sight as a teenager due to degenerative diabetic retinopathy, Díaz-Merced completed her undergraduate degree in physics at the University of Puerto Rico. She continued her academic journey by earning a doctorate in computer science from the University of Glasgow, focusing her thesis on the application of audio analysis to astrophysical plasmas.

Díaz-Merced's work in data sonification began during an internship at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where she collaborated with heliophysicist Robert Candey on xSonify, software that translates signals from astrophysical objects into audio frequency and intensity variations. Her research demonstrated that sonification is a valuable tool for data analysis, enabling both blind and sighted astronomers to detect subtle signals, such as those indicating the presence of a black hole, by combining audio and visual data.

Her career includes positions at the Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian, South African Astronomical Observatory, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, and European Gravitational Observatory in Italy. While at Harvard, Díaz-Merced's sonification research inspired musician and researcher Gerhard Sonnert to create the album "X-Ray Hydra," which features music derived from NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory data. She also collaborated with Harvard astronomer Allyson Bieryla to develop the "LightSound" device, translating light intensity into musical tones to make solar eclipses accessible to blind individuals. Díaz-Merced co-chaired the international conference "Astronomy for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion" at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and has delivered speeches at the United Nations in Vienna and New York advocating for accessible science. She has also addressed the White House Frontiers Conference on inclusive space exploration.

Díaz-Merced has received recognition from organizations such as BBC, which named her among seven influential women in science, and the Royal Society, which recognized her as a role model. She received the Estrella Luike Award for excellence in astronomy, was named a Science Fellow by the American Astronomical Society, and won a Google European Scholarship for Students with Disabilities. She has also been recognized by the Senate of Puerto Rico. Her TED Talk, "How a Blind Astronomer Found a Way to Hear the Stars," is among TED's most-watched astronomy presentations. Díaz-Merced serves as director of the Arecibo C3 STEM Education Center, where she continues to promote inclusive science education, including the development and instruction of multisensory astrophysics and cosmology courses for students with disabilities.