Kavli ScholarAbraham Amiri
Amiri is a science communicator and studying to be an astronomer. He fled Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, when he came under threat due to his national visibility in Afghan science outreach. Spending many months in a refugee camp awaiting official paperwork, Amiri sought opportunities to further his education and his pursuits in science. He was accepted by UCLA to pursue a master’s degree in planetary science. His university sponsor and advisor is David Jewitt, a 2012 Kavli Prize Laureate in Astrophysics, and professor of astronomy in UCLA’s Earth, Planetary, and Space Science Department.
“I fled Afghanistan in 2021 due to the fear of persecution, imprisonment or death by the Taliban,” stated Amiri. “I really wanted to continue promoting science and communicating science with the public, and to pursue a master’s in astronomy. I didn’t know if it was possible. Thanks to my current advisor, David Jewitt, Kathie Bailey while she was working with the National Academy of Sciences before joining The Kavli Foundation as Director of The Kavli Prize, and now Kavli’s financial support, I can continue my passion.”
