Mirjana Pović

Pović was born in Pančevo, Serbia.[1] She was only nine years old when the war in Serbia began.[2] She became interested in astronomy as a child, and hitchhiked to attend her classes.[3][4][5] She studied physics at the University of Belgrade, where she was awarded a full scholarship and earned her degree in 2005.[1] She was awarded a summer scholarship to study astrophysics at Durham University in 2004.[1] She earned her doctoral degree at the University of La Laguna, working with the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC).[6] For her doctorate she used the XMM-Newton and Chandra X-ray Observatories. Pović defended her thesis on active galactic nuclei in 2010.[7] During her PhD she volunteered in Tanzania and Kenya, and became "amazed by Africa's beauty and diversity".[8] She was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2010, before returning to the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía in 2011. She became involved with the African Network for Astronomy School Education in 2012.[1] She began to volunteer with the Granada Association for Human Rights of Andalusia in 2012, specialising in prostitution and immigration.[9]

Pović works on the formation and evolution of galaxies.[10][11] To study these galaxies, Pović uses planetary surveys such as the Advanced Large Homogeneous Area Medium-Band Redshift Astronomical (ALHAMBRA).[12] She investigates the star formation rate and mass-metallicity.[13] She is an affiliated researcher at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía. Pović joined the Association of Women Researchers and Technologists in 2013.[1]

In 2016 Pović joined the Entoto Observatory and Research Centre in Ethiopia. She believes that astronomy and space science will be important for Africa to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.[14][15] She has been involved with the Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute (ESSTI) since it was established.[14] She is a Professor of Physics and Head of the Department of Astronomy.[16] She was responsible for training the first generation of postgraduate astronomy students in astronomy, including Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda.[16] There are over 100 members of staff, but only 5 with doctorates.[2] She is the only woman and only European member of the team.[17][18]

That year she began to coordinate the African countries program of the Network for Astronomy School Education in 2016.[1] She has taught physics across Africa, including in to orphans in Rwanda and HIV-positive people in Tanzania.[5][19] She believes that scientists should spend more time connecting to the developing world.[20] She leads science clubs and lecture series for secondary-school girls in Ethiopia.[8]

Pović was awarded the 2019 Nature Research - Estée Lauder Inspiring Science Award.[19][21][22][23][24][25][26] She has said she will use the €10,000 award money to build networks between women scientists in Ethiopia.[8][22] She is a member of the International Astronomical Union.[15]