Christopher Hirata, The Cosmologist And Astrophysicist Studying Dark Matter
Ohio State UniversityChristopher Hirata, a child prodigy who has worked with NASA since he was just 16.
From an early age, it was clear that Christopher Hirata was a genius. At the age of 13, he won a gold medal at the International Physics Olympiad, and he would only continue to excel in academics from there. By 14, he was taking college-level courses, and at 16, he began working with NASA on projects related to colonizing Mars.
Hirata attended the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), completing his bachelor’s degree in physics by the time he was 18. From there, he pursued graduate studies at Princeton University, earning his Ph.D. in astrophysics in four years. His doctoral research focused on the large-scale structure of the universe and the cosmic microwave background, helping scholars uncover more about the mysteries of outer space.
Hirata has likewise focused a significant portion of his research on dark energy, a mysterious force that scientists know very little about. He is also working to help NASA develop the next generation of space telescopes. As such, he may be one of the smartest people in the world who is still alive today.
Despite his remarkable achievements, however, Hirata has maintained a relatively low profile. He is a professor at Ohio State University’s Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics, choosing to focus on his scientific endeavors and academic contributions rather than public recognition.
