Concepción, 9 October 2019

Dr. Neil Nagar receives 2019 Municipal Science Award for his contribution to the first-ever image of a black hole

Each year, the Municipality of Concepción honours distinguished citizens who have made remarkable contributions to fields such as the arts and sciences. On this occasion, the astronomer Neil Nagar- academic in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Concepción -was selected for this prize, for his participation in the team that characterised the first image of a supermassive black hole

This prize consists of a fund of approximately $1,100 USD, which will allow him to continue developing his work as an astronomer.

In April of this year, researchers from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT)- a network of eight telescopes located in different parts of the world -succeeded in capturing the image of a supermassive black hole. A total of 347 researchers, including Neil Nagar and Venkatessh Ramakrishnan, both from the Department of Astronomy at the University of Concepción, contributed to this astronomical and scientific milestone, which led to the 2020 Breakthrough Prize, also known as the "Oscar of Science" in the "Fundamental Physics" category, as well as recognition from the Chilean Parliament.

The Municipal Award in Arts, Science, Applied Research, and Social Sciences, recognises in the field of science, the milestone achievement that marked the first-ever image of the shadow of a black hole, captured by a team of 347 scientists from around the world, including the distinguished scientist Neil Nagar.

Dr. Neil Nagar holds a PhD in Astronomy and focuses on the study of active galaxies, supermassive black holes, galaxy kinematics, and high-energy cosmic rays.

It is worth noting that he is not the only academic from the Department of Astronomy who has been honoured with the Municipality Award; Wolfgang Gieren, Ronald Mennickent and Douglas Geisler were also recognised in 2009, 2014 and 2016 respectively for their contributions to science.

The ceremony will be held on 11 October at 19:00 in the Honour Hall "Regidor Carlos Contreras Maluje" at the Municipality of Concepción.

About Neil Nagar

• He holds a PhD in Astronomy from the University of Maryland, College Park, USA, which he earned in 2000
• Bachelor in Electronics Engineering and Master's in Mathematics from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India, in 1993
• He has been collaborating with the EHT since 2010, currently focusing on a sample of active galaxies, calibration and analysis of ALMA data
• He joined the Department of Astronomy at the University of Concepción in 2004

Minicipal Awards

• It is designed for the recognition of labor and work of residing citizens or citizens born in Concepcion
• It has four categories: arts, science, applied research and social sciences
• It is awarded together with distintive degree and a fund equal to nearly $1,000 USD
• The jury is conformed by the Major of Concepcion, five consejales, and one representative for each university residing in the city for more than ten years
• These awards are intended to recognise the work of local residents or individuals from Concepción
• It has four categories: arts, science, applied research, and social sciences
• The award consists of a commemorative diploma and a monetary prize equivalent to approximately $1,000 USD
• The jury is chaired by the Mayor of Concepción, five councillors, and one representative from each university that has been established in the city for more than ten years