Our research and teaching focus on tiny particles called neutrinos and what they can tell us about the universe. Neutrinos are very mysterious and could help answer big questions, like where mass comes from, why the universe has more matter than antimatter, what powers exploding stars, and whether there is new physics beyond what we currently know.

At the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, we study how neutrinos change as they travel (neutrino oscillations) and use them to explore space. We also look for neutrinos from supernovae. Part of our work is developing better light sensorsfor the next generation of neutrino detectors. These new sensors use special materials that capture and guide light more efficiently, which reduces noise and makes detections more accurate.

This same technology helps improve other experiments, like NuDoubt++, by collecting more light and measuring energies more precisely. This is important for experiments looking for a rare type of decay called neutrino-less double beta decay. Improving how we detect these events could help answer whether neutrinos are their own antiparticles.

Another project, Project 8, aims to measure the actual mass of neutrinos using tritium beta decay. We use a new method called CRES technology, which gives extremely precise energy measurements. To do this, we first need to split tritium molecules into single atoms at extremely high temperatures, then cool them to near absolute zero and trap them using magnetic fields—because the atoms would otherwise recombine.