Coral Pillay

Biography

Coral is an MSc Astrophysics student at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. Her research uses supercomputer simulations to explore pairs of supermassive black holes and their impact on galaxy evolution over cosmic time. She is particularly interested in connecting these simulations to observations in the upcoming SKA era of radio astronomy. Coral has contributed to international collaborations such as the European Space Agency’s LISA Consortium and conducted research at the University of Edinburgh and JIVE in the Netherlands. Passionate about science communication and inclusion, she hopes to make science more accessible, socially engaged, and politically responsive. Beyond her research, she finds joy in nature, books, and Johannesburg’s art and music scene. At Oxford, she hopes to pursue a DPhil in Astrophysics.