Faculty Achievement

LSU professor and world-renowned physicists, Gabriela González, has been named the 2019 SEC Professor of the Year. González is a professor in the LSU department of Astronomy and Physics and is a leader in gravitational wave research.

González, who is a native of Argentina, has served as the international spokesperson for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO, Scientific Collaboration, a group that received a Nobel Prize in 2017 for proving predictions made by Albert Einstein nearly 100 years ago.

LSU President F. King Alexander commented saying, “the caliber of Dr. González’s body of research, combined with her many accomplishments and exceptional leadership, attest to the extremely broad impact she has contributed to her field. She embodies the criteria set forward for the SEC Professor of the Year, and we are all thrilled she is being recognized by the Southeastern Conference for her contributions to the academy and the world.”

Dr. González’s research focuses on LIGO instrument development and data calibration and diagnostics. González was elected to the National Academy of Science following her worldwide announcement that gravitational waves had been discovered.

In addition to her research, Dr. González has mentored doctoral students and has worked as the lead of a local outreach program that has received more than $1 million for K-12 students in Baton Rouge.

The SEC Professor of the Year Award is given annually to one SEC faculty member with a teaching and research record that would place them among the elite in higher education. Winners are selected by SEC provosts from among the 14 SEC Faculty Achievement Award recipients, receives a $20,000 honorarium, and is formally presented the award during the SEC Awards Dinner in May.