Mahlet Shiferaw – 2026 Wonderfest Science Envoy

Mahlet Shiferaw is a PhD candidate in physics at Stanford University, where she is advised by Dr. Risa Wechsler. Mahlet studies large-scale structure formation, which means that she tries to model how galaxies, clusters of galaxies, and quasars came to form over time. Because of the vast scales involved in her research, Mahlet typically analyses huge datasets spanning billions of light-years, where she looks for meaningful statistical trends in how clustered these objects are, and how they are related to dark matter. Understanding this connection is essential for building a complete cosmological model of the Universe. When she is not doing research, Mahlet loves to draw and paint, run, and explore San Francisco.