Biography
Jesse Thaler is a theoretical particle physicist who fuses techniques from quantum field theory and machine learning to address outstanding questions in fundamental physics. His current research is focused on maximizing the discovery potential of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) through new theoretical frameworks and novel data analysis techniques. Prof. Thaler is an expert in jets, which are collimated sprays of particles that are copiously produced at the LHC, and he studies the substructure of jets to enhance the search for new phenomena and illuminate the dynamics of gauge theories. He is also interested in new strategies to probe the nature of dark matter at the LHC and beyond, as well as in the theoretical structures and experimental signatures of supersymmetry.
Prof. Thaler joined the MIT Physics Department in 2010, and is currently a Professor in 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. He was awarded an Early Career Research Award from the U.S. Department of Energy in 2011, a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from the White House in 2012, a Sloan Research Fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in 2013, and a Harold E. Edgerton Faculty Achievement Award from MIT in 2016. In 2020, Prof. Thaler became the inaugural Director of the NSF AI Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions.
Research Interests
The dots above indicate publications on my cv. My research interests span a wide range of topics in and beyond the standard model:
- Collider Physics and Quantum Chromodynamics
- Theoretical Frameworks Beyond the Standard Model
Selected Publications
- Dark Photons from Charm Mesons at LHCb.
Philip Ilten, Jesse Thaler, Mike Williams, and Wei Xue.
Phys. Rev. D92:115017 (2015), arXiv:1509.06765.
- The Goldstone and Goldstino of Supersymmetric Inflation.
Yonatan Kahn, Daniel A. Roberts, and Jesse Thaler.
JHEP 1510:001 (2015), arXiv:1504.05958.
- Sudakov Safety in Perturbative QCD.
Andrew J. Larkoski, Simone Marzani, and Jesse Thaler.
Phys. Rev. D91:111501 (2015), arXiv:1502.01719.
- (In)direct Detection of Boosted Dark Matter.
Kaustubh Agashe, Yanou Cui, Lina Necib, and Jesse Thaler.
JCAP 1410:062 (2014), arXiv:1405.7370.
- Soft Drop.
Andrew J. Larkoski, Simone Marzani, Gregory Soyez, and Jesse Thaler.
JHEP 1405:146 (2014), arXiv:1402.2657.
- Anomaly Mediation from Unbroken Supergravity.
Francesco D'Eramo, Jesse Thaler, and Zachary Thomas.
JHEP 1309:125 (2013), arXiv:1307.3251.
- Flavor Mediation Delivers Natural SUSY.
Nathaniel Craig, Matthew McCullough, and Jesse Thaler.
JHEP 1206:046 (2012), arXiv:1203.1622.
- Identifying Boosted Objects with N-subjettiness.
Jesse Thaler and Ken Van Tilburg.
JHEP 1103:015 (2011), arXiv:1011.2268.
- Semi-annihilation of Dark Matter.
Francesco D'Eramo and Jesse Thaler.
JHEP 1006:109 (2010), arXiv:1003.5912.
- Goldstini.
Clifford Cheung, Yasunori Nomura, and Jesse Thaler.
JHEP 1003:073 (2010), arXiv:1002.1967.
- Dark Matter through the Axion Portal.
Yasunori Nomura and Jesse Thaler.
Phys. Rev. D79:075008 (2009), arXiv:0810.5397.