Faculty

JESSE THALER
Class of 1943 Career Development Assistant Professor of Physics

JESSE THALER, Associate Professor of Physics

Name: Jesse Thaler

Title(s): Class of 1943 Career Development
Assistant Professor of Physics

Email: jthaler@mit.edu

Phone: (617) 253-3713

Address:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Avenue, Bldg. 6-318
Cambridge, MA 02139

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Area of Physics:

Theoretical Particle Physics

Research Interests

Jesse Thaler is a theoretical particle physicist whose current research focus is the upcoming Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiment at CERN.

The LHC offers an unprecedented opportunity to probe new phenomena at the high energy frontier. For the past three decades, the so-called "standard model" has successfully described all known interactions among fundamental particles. However, the standard model does not address a number of outstanding questions in fundamental physics, including the origin of mass, the nature of dark matter, the apparent weakness of gravity, and the symmetry structure of our universe. With a seven-fold increase in energy compared to the Tevatron at Fermilab, the LHC will usher in a new era of discovery, revealing what physics -- if any -- lies beyond the standard model.

In his research, Prof. Thaler analyzes the theoretical frameworks and possible LHC signatures for physics beyond the standard model. He is particularly interested in how the properties of dark matter might be tested at the LHC. In addition, he works on methods to improve LHC data analysis, including jet reconstruction and standard model background estimation.

Biographical Sketch

Jesse Thaler joined the MIT Physics Department in January 2010 as an Assistant Professor and member of the Center for Theoretical Physics. From 2006 to 2009, he was a fellow at the Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science at the University of California, Berkeley. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from Harvard University in 2006, and his Sc.B. in Math/Physics from Brown University in 2002.

Selected Publications