✎ about [Jesse Thaler]

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====== Jesse Diaz Thaler ====== 

{{ images:marriedjesse.jpg?200 |Jesse Thaler}}
===== The Short of It =====

I am currently an [[http://web.mit.edu/physics/people/faculty/thaler_jesse.html|Associate Professor]] of [[http://web.mit.edu/physics/|Physics]] at the [[http://www.mit.edu/|Massachusetts Institute of Technology]].  I work in the [[http://www-ctp.mit.edu/|Center for Theoretical Physics]], focusing my research on the [[http://lhc.web.cern.ch/|Large Hadron Collider]] experiment at [[http://www.cern.ch|CERN]].  Once upon a time I played tenor sax, but I switched to upright bass when I found out that "String Theory" was going to revolutionize particle physics.
===== The Long of It =====

Though I was born in [[http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/|Minneapolis, Minnesota]], I spent my formative years in [[http://www.yorkmaine.org/|York, Maine]].  My brother, [[aaron|Aaron]], and I used to play all sorts of fun games including "wig" which nearly resulted in vital organ loss.  I survived through [[http://www.yorkschools.org/yms/|York Middle School]] despite soldered glasses, a bad hair cut, and one-on-one math tutorials in a janitor's closet.  My success was partly due to a love affair with a tenor saxophone.

I went to high school at [[http://www.exeter.edu/|Phillips Exeter Academy]].  It was there that I developed my radio personality, Lester Johnson, on 90.5 FM WPEA.  I also learned how to rock out on the electric bass through a spiritual encounter with the band/fruit juice known as [[http://www.nedlog.com/|Nedlog]].   Oh, and I happened to meet a [[http://bellowelsh.com/pages/team/alexandra-sasha-d-thaler/|fine looking Russian-Cuban]] in a class on Zen Buddhism.

In 2002, I received an Sc.B. in Math/Physics from [[http://www.brown.edu/|Brown University]].  At Brown, I was heavily involved with an upright bass named Else, until I was sucked into an eight-piece 70s funk band named DLicks.  Lester spent a few too many hours doing late-night freeform radio at [[http://www.wbru.com|95.5 WBRU]].  It was fun while it lasted... my/his sanity, that is.

Now I am engaged in an equally brain warping activity:  theoretical physics.  I received my Ph.D. in [[http://hetg.physics.harvard.edu|high energy theory]] at [[http://www.harvard.edu/|Harvard University]], working with [[https://www.ias.edu/people/faculty-and-emeriti/arkani-hamed|Nima Arkani-Hamed]] to elucidate some of the deep mysteries of the universe.  

I then spent a glorious three-and-a-half years in California, doing post-doctorial research as a [[http://millerinstitute.berkeley.edu/|Miller Fellow]] at [[http://www.berkeley.edu/|UC Berkeley]] and [[http://www.lbl.gov|LBNL]].  Sasha and I [[http://wedding.jthaler.net/|tied the knot]] in 2007, and we've been enjoying married life ever since, testing the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_Dome|laws]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tallac|of]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Plata_Peak|gravity]] at every opportunity.  

Alas, our time on the left coast was short-lived, and Sasha and I moved (back) to New England in 2010.  I am now living the (academic) dream as an [[http://web.mit.edu/physics/people/faculty/thaler_jesse.html|Associate Professor]] in the [[http://www-ctp.mit.edu/|Center for Theoretical Physics]] at [[http://www.mit.edu/|MIT]].  Go to my [[research]] page to see my attempts to address some of the outstanding questions in fundamental physics, including the nature of dark matter, the apparent weakness of gravity, and the symmetry structure of our universe.  

And do [[jthaler@jthaler.net|drop me a line]] if you find yourself in the Boston Area.

====== The Family ======

{{ images:coolfamily.jpg?500 |The Thaler Family}}

(Yes, the only good photos of my family were taken at our wedding.)

===== Significant Other =====

{{images:coolsasha.jpg?200|Sasha Diaz Thaler}}

Sasha managed to finish about three-quarters of a Saturday [[http://www.nytimes.com/pages/crosswords/|NYTimes crossword puzzle]] before she realized that I was proposing to her.  (58-Down: Yes.)  She received her J.D. from [[http://www.bu.edu/law/|Boston University]], passed (!) the [[http://www.calbar.ca.gov/|California]] and [[http://www.mass.gov/bbe/|Massachusetts]] Bar Exams, and is now a partner at the labor and employment law firm [[http://www.bellowelsh.com/|Bello/Welsh]].  

At [[http://www.yale.edu/|Yale]], Sasha studied Cognitive Science  with a concentration in Artificial Intelligence.  She was the musical director (and sang tenor) for the a cappella group [[http://www.redhotandblueofyale.org|Redhot & Blue]].  She speaks Spanish with a Russian accent, Russian with an American accent, and English with a few glottals added for good measure.  Her favorite number is [[http://www.baa.org/|26.2]].
===== Brother =====

{{images:coolaaron.jpg?200|Aaron Thaler}}

Aaron graduated from [[http://www.wesleyan.edu/|Wesleyan University]] where he majored in something other than physics.  He lived the good life in San Francisco, working in the non-profit sector and rocking out on his guitar.  Aaron lives on [[aaron|in our memories]].

===== Mother =====

{{images:coolalalia.jpg?200|Alalia Thaler}}

My mom, Alalia, recently completed a tour of Cuba with [[http://www.voicesfromtheheart.org/|Voices from the Heart]], an all female a cappella group based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  They sing inspirational songs from around the world.  She's kept her day job as a guidance counselor at [[http://www.yorkschools.org/yhs/|York High School]].

===== Father =====

{{images:coolfred.jpg?200|Fred Thaler}}

With both of his sons having lived in California, Fred has taken up some decidedly West Coast hobbies:  [[http://www.cinnamonrainbows.com/|surfing]] and [[http://www.yogaforsurfers.com/|yoga]].  He's also a doctor at [[http://www.yorkhospital.com/primary-and-specialty-locations/kittery-family-practice/|Kittery Family Practice]].   Once upon a time, he played harmonica in "The Doc Johnson Blues Band" but now he's working on his jazz piano.

===== The Next Generation =====

We'll see how long our son Adrian can avoid having his (cute!) pictures posted all over the internet.  He is a precocious little  preschooler, who would like you to know "that's preposterous" (or "ridiculous", or "not fair" in the case of withheld chocolate).
===== Four Legs are Better Than Two =====

Our dog Izzy has also managed to avoid the internet limelight.  She has, however, discovered the smörgåsbord along the streets of [[https://www.cambridgema.gov/theworks/ourservices/streetcleaning|Cambridge]].