Shazrene Mohamed is computational stellar astrophysicist specializing in supercomputer simulations of single and binary stars in their final phases of evolution — systems that not only provide the raw material for planets but also play a central role in the evolution of galaxies. Together with her group, she investigates how stars exchange mass and momentum with each other and their surroundings and the profound implications these interactions have for our understanding of the origin and evolution of symbiotic and X-ray binaries, chemically peculiar stars, the progenitors of supernovae and highly structured circumstellar outflows with spirals, rings, arcs and jets.

A Rhodes scholar, Shazrene holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in astrophysics from the University of Oxford (2009) and a bachelor’s degree in astrophysics and mathematics from Harvard University (2004). She spent two years as an Argelander Research Fellow at the University of Bonn in Germany before moving to Cape Town in South Africa where she held a joint position as an astronomer and associate professor at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) and the University of Cape Town (UCT).  Most recently she was an associate professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Miami in Florida.

As an associate professor with the College, Shazrene looks forward to mentoring students in stellar astrophysics research and teaching introductory astronomy as well as more advanced courses on topics including astrophysical processes, computational astrophysics and stellar structure and evolution.