| Barbara Sue Ryden | |
| Workplaces: | Ohio State University Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics |
| Alma Mater: | Northwestern University Princeton University |
| Thesis Title: | Galaxy formation by gravitational collapse in a universe dominated by cold dark matter |
| Thesis Url: | http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/946084398 |
| Thesis Year: | 1987 |
Barbara Sue Ryden (born May 2, 1961) is an American astrophysicist who is a Professor of Astronomy at Ohio State University. Her research considers the formation, shape and structure of galaxies. She was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2016.
Ryden studied physics and integrated sciences at Northwestern University.[1] She moved to Princeton University as a doctoral student, where she worked alongside James Gunn. She was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian[2] and Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics.[3]
Ryden joined the faculty at Ohio State University in 1992. She studies the formation and shapes of galaxies.[4] Her research made use of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and various numerical simulations. She has shown that the galactic disks at the centre of spiral galaxies are more elliptical than circular.
Ryden has written several astronomy textbooks, including Introduction to Cosmology,[5] Interstellar and Intergalactic Medium,[6] and Foundations of Astrophysics.[7]