“I was totally hooked:” How astrophysics changed Andrea Antoni’s life

July 17, 2025

by Alexander Rony

Andrea Antoni didn’t take a traditional path to graduate school — if one exists for computational astrophysicists. On her last day of high school, she gave birth and became a single, working mother.

While volunteering at her child’s school, she met other mothers who worked in computer science and electrical engineering. She felt those careers represented practical ways to get an education and earn money. So, in her 30s, she decided it was time to pursue her dream of becoming a scientist.

“I felt like, if I'm going to college, it should be for the thing that I really want to do,” said Antoni. “I always knew I wanted to do science, but the only people I knew who had gone to college were my dentist and my doctor.”

Antoni excelled, transferring to UC Santa Cruz and receiving competitive offers from top graduate programs nationwide before choosing UC Berkeley. After receiving her Ph.D. in astrophysics in 2024, Antoni is thriving as a fellow at the Flatiron Institute, a prominent research center. Her story exemplifies the need to support community college transfer students and others who take unconventional paths to college.

On the Road to Discovery

As Antoni was leaning toward an engineering major at West Valley College, she took a required course in physics. Antoni was hooked, but because of her blue-collar background, she felt it was self-indulgent to pursue theoretical science instead of a field with clearer job prospects. Her professor, Mel Vaughn, showed her it was possible to build a career out of physics.

“My sister and I are the first in our family to go to college,” said Antoni. “It took a really incredible human being in community college to convince me to do this path.”

The UC system has many opportunities for transfer students from California’s community colleges. Students can apply to all the UC campuses based on their intended major, or they can secure guaranteed admission to a specific campus if they meet certain criteria. Every campus maintains programs dedicated to helping transfer students apply, transition, and graduate.

While attending West Valley College, Antoni applied for the Lamat Research Experiences for Undergraduates program at UC Santa Cruz. The intensive program includes astronomy talks, academic counseling, a computational science boot camp, and a summer research project. The experience changed her life. Antoni was able to run experiments on supercomputers and finally see herself performing serious scientific research. She also took astronomy lessons from Anna Rosen, a Ph.D. student who showed Antoni’s cohort the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram and explained how stars work.

“I was totally hooked, but what was even more amazing was that Anna had been a community college student like me,” said Antoni, “and now she was getting a Ph.D. in astrophysics. Before meeting her, that possibility didn't even exist in my worldview.”

Antoni did her summer research project with Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, who became her advisor and mentor when she decided to attend UC Santa Cruz.

“Before transferring, I assumed everyone who went to college had something special that I didn't have,” said Antoni. “Once I transferred, I saw that all of my life experiences added up to something more. Research was a natural thing for me because I had been solving puzzles my whole career.”

In Pursuit of Advanced Knowledge

You make mistakes all the time. By definition, research is doing something you don't know how to do.

Andrea Antoni

Graduate programs are competitive, but Antoni received competitive offers from top schools across the country. She chose UC Berkeley.

“Berkeley had the department where I felt the most at home, and it was close to my family,” said Antoni. “I really liked the vibe. You're allowed to have strong opinions and make changes. There isn’t a pecking order.”

Antoni also secured several fellowships that were supplemented by a fund created by beloved Berkeley alum Maria Cranor. All together, Antoni had some level of funding her entire time in Berkeley’s doctoral program. Many first-generation students like Antoni cannot afford graduate school on their own, let alone the high cost of living in the Bay Area. Additionally, faculty members routinely rank graduate student support as one of the best ways to support their research.

At Berkeley, Antoni focused her research on stellar transients — objects or phenomena in space that change their brightness over a relatively short time. In particular, she studied the final stages of massive stars many times larger than our own sun. Some massive stars are too far away for astronomers to see normally, but their explosions can be powerful and bright enough to observe. Antoni probed the surrounding area of space to understand the properties of the explosions, which can reveal the properties of the star before it died.

She is now continuing her work on stellar transients at the Center for Computational Astrophysics at the Flatiron Institute. It was her top choice following her Ph.D., though it did require her to turn down a highly coveted NASA Hubble Fellowship. She gets to use supercomputers again, and this time, she doesn’t need to wait in a queue.

“It's a very friendly and collegial environment,” said Antoni. “I miss being in a university setting where there are students around, but the other postdocs are amazing. There’s a very high standard, so you feel motivated, but not in a negative way. It's such a gift to be here that I don't want to waste any of my days.”

After three years at the Flatiron Institute, Antoni will start a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University.

Paying it Forward

A smiling man on the right has his arm around a smiling woman

Antoni and her former undergraduate advisor, Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, at an American Astronomical Society meeting

You meet these really exceptional people, and you hope you can do one percent of what they do for one student.

Andrea Antoni

Some students — especially the first in their families to go to college — develop so-called “imposter syndrome,” where they don’t feel they belong at an elite institution like UC Berkeley. It is enough of an issue that the Division of Mathematical & Physical Sciences has created programs like MPS Scholars to give students the confidence to believe they belong on the campus and in their field.

“I don't like the term ‘imposter syndrome,’ because I think it’s the norm,” said Antoni. “You make mistakes all the time. By definition, research is doing something you don't know how to do. As soon as you figure out how to do it, you move on to the next thing. Failing at everything all day is doing research.”

Antoni feels fortunate to be in a position where she is thriving, and she tries to help others find their own path to success. At UC Berkeley, she helped launch POWER Bay Area, a mentoring and workshop series for East Bay community college students interested in the physical sciences. Some of the participants went on to transfer to UC Berkeley — a point of pride for Antoni.

Now, as a postdoc, she advises others on their research and careers. Ultimately, Antoni hopes to become a teaching professor.

“You hope you can pay forward some of what you got, because otherwise, it just feels lucky and fleeting,” said Antoni. Reflecting on her own mentors, like Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz at UC Santa Cruz, Antoni noted. “You meet these really exceptional people, and you hope you can do one percent of what they do for one student.”

Andrea Antoni was able to attend college and grad school thanks to multiple scholarships, fellowships, and stipends. You, too, can change the face of the physical sciences. Give to the Astronomy Graduate Student Support Fund to support UC Berkeley’s world-class scholars.

A large group of people pose for a photo in a classroom

A group photo from a POWER Bay Area retreat. Antoni is in the front row, fourth from the right.

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