Wanda Díaz-Merced

Experiencing vision impairment and overcoming significant challenges in her pursuit of education, adolescent Wanda Díaz-Merced was motivated by live audio of a sunburst. This inspiration led her to become a prominent advocate for the sonification of astrophysical data, prompting her to travel globally to conduct research and advocate for equal opportunities in the field of astronomy.

She undertook astrophysical research at NASA Spaceflight Center, and she held a Postdoctoral Research Fellow position at the IAU Office of Astronomy for Development and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Actually Wanda is a Cathedratic at Universidad del Sagrado Corazon in Puerto Rico.  Her renowned TED Talk titled “How a blind astronomer found a way to hear the stars” has served as a source of motivation for numerous scientists, encouraging them to persevere in their scientific endeavors despite challenges associated with physical disabilities.