Sambatriniaina H. A. Rajohnson is a first year PhD student in Astronomy at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Originally from Antananarivo, Madagascar, she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Physics in 2015 and completed her MSc in Astrophysics at the University of Antananarivo in 2018. Her MSc project was about the Stellar Population study of Blueberry galaxies.
In the same year, she took part in the Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy (DARA) basic training program. A set of technical training which has sparked her interests into Radio Astronomy. That is why she is now pursuing her PhD research about neutral hydrogen observations of galaxies hidden behind the Milky Way plane, which are key for understanding galaxy evolution on large scales.
Apart from her research work, Sambatra is passionate about science communication, public outreaches and women empowerment into STEM fields. At the moment, she is a permanent member of Ikala STEM, an association of scientific women from Madagascar and is a volunteer at The Cosmic Savannah Podcast. Her message: “Do not let failure push you down. Stand up, Fight with confidence and Win”.