Keren Sharon’s research centers on strong gravitational lensing -- a phenomenon in which the gravitational field of a massive structure bends light from objects behind it, allowing it to serve as a natural telescope. Her group studies the massive structures themselves, analyzing the gravitational lensing signal from groups and clusters of galaxies to model their mass distribution. Sharon’s team also uses the exceptional magnification provided by these lensing clusters to probe the physical properties of their background galaxies. This technique has allowed them to examine distant galaxies with unprecedented resolution and detail.