April Qiu Cheng is interested in probing physics through astronomical observations spanning a wide range of scales.
As an undergraduate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, April engaged in research on gravitational-wave inference, black hole phenomenology, and the use of fast radio bursts as a statistical probe of large-scale structure. April has been awarded the Astronaut Scholarship, the MIT Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award, the MIT Barrett Prize and the Princeton President’s Fellowship in recognition for the research.
Beyond their research pursuits, April is deeply committed to fostering a vibrant and inclusive physics community and cultivating the next generation of scientists. April served as the undergraduate representative on MIT’s Physics Values Committee and was the vice president of advocacy for the Undergraduate Women in Physics. Outside MIT, April engages in various science outreach programs for middle and high schoolers. They are a longtime member of the national A-team, responsible for the astronomy event of the Science Olympiad program.
Since graduating in three years from MIT, April is pursuing research in gravitational-wave cosmology as a Fulbright fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics. They will begin their doctorate in astrophysics at Princeton in the fall.
Hailing from San Diego, April loves writing, playing video games and exploring new cafes.
