Dr. Katherine Bouman is a distinguished scholar in computational imaging and an Associate Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at the California Institute of Technology. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering summa cum laude from the University of Michigan in 2011 before completing both her Master's degree and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After receiving her doctorate in 2017 with a thesis focused on extreme imaging techniques, she served as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University working with the Event Horizon Telescope Imaging team. Her pioneering career trajectory accelerated when she joined Caltech as an Assistant Professor in June 2019 and was subsequently awarded a named professorship in 2020.
Dr. Bouman's groundbreaking contribution to astrophysics came through her development of the Continuous High-resolution Image Reconstruction using Patch priors (CHIRP) algorithm, which proved instrumental in capturing the first-ever image of a black hole in 2019. As a key member of the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration, she led critical work in verifying images, selecting parameters for filtering, and developing a robust imaging framework that compared results from different reconstruction techniques. Her innovative approach to computational imaging transformed how scientists address the challenge of generating images from incomplete telescope data, effectively solving what she described as the problem of playing a song on a piano that has some broken keys. The widespread impact of her algorithmic work has extended beyond astrophysics to influence multiple fields requiring advanced image reconstruction techniques.
Currently, Dr. Bouman leads a research group at Caltech that combines principles from signal processing, computer vision, machine learning, and physics to advance computational imaging capabilities. Her exceptional contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors including the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics and the Royal Photographic Society Progress Medal, while asteroid 291387 Katiebouman was named in her honor in 2021. Despite facing unwarranted criticism and online harassment following her viral recognition, she has consistently emphasized the collaborative nature of scientific discovery, serving as an important role model for women in STEM fields. Dr. Bouman continues to pioneer new imaging systems that integrate algorithm and sensor design, with her current research focused on observing previously inaccessible phenomena through the innovative combination of computational methods and physical measurement systems.
