Presenting Our 2026 Speakers…Dr. Wen-fai Fong

Meet our 2026 Symposium speaker, Dr. Wen-fai Fong! Join us for a journey into cosmic collisions and the revolutionary discovery that changed astronomy in 2017. Discover how neutron star mergers — shining in both gravitational waves and light — opened the era of multi-messenger astronomy and transformed how we observe the transient universe. 🌌✨

📅 6th March, 6:30–10:30PM

📍 MC102 (Mechanical Engineering Building, 5 King’s College Road)

Speaker Biography: Wen-fai Fong is an Associate Professor at Northwestern University and leads the Fong Research Group at the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA). Her research focuses on understanding the origins of cosmic explosions through multi-wavelength observations across the electromagnetic spectrum. She characterizes the host galaxies of gamma-ray bursts, mobilizes the SAGUARO telescope network in Southern Arizona to follow up gravitational-wave events, and conducts multi-wavelength studies of fast radio bursts to uncover their physical origins. Her work has contributed to the development of multi-messenger astronomy, particularly in the study of neutron star mergers. Professor Fong is deeply committed to mentorship and fostering an inclusive scientific community. Outside of research, she enjoys cooking adventurous recipes, solving New York Times crosswords (up to Wednesday!), watching the Food Network, and spending time with her family.