Marie Korsaga

Burkina Faso's first female astrophysicist reshaping STEM in West Africa

Dr. Marie Korsaga (born 1989) shattered stereotypes by becoming the first woman astrophysicist from Burkina Faso. Her research on galaxy dark matter distribution at Université de Cape Town challenges male-dominated African academia. She co-founded AstroLab, a mobile astronomy workshop reaching rural schools.

Korsaga's advocacy through International Astronomical Union committees promotes gender parity in science. By combining cutting-edge research with grassroots education, she's creating a pipeline for Sub-Saharan girls in physics—a field where fewer than 2% of African researchers are women.