Jesse Thaler to Lead MIT Nuclear Science Lab From Aug. 1
Updated
Updated · MIT News · Jul 7
Jesse Thaler to Lead MIT Nuclear Science Lab From Aug. 1
1 articles · Updated · MIT News · Jul 7
Summary
Aug. 1 marks Jesse Thaler’s start as director of MIT’s Laboratory for Nuclear Science, succeeding Bolek Wyslouch after his 10-year tenure.
Thaler, a theoretical particle physicist, was tapped for work linking quantum field theory with machine learning, including particle-jet research at the Large Hadron Collider and AI tools for fundamental physics.
Since 2020, he has led the NSF-backed IAIFI, recently renewed for five more years; physics professor Mike Williams will take over that institute.
LNS, founded in 1946 for nuclear and particle physics, now spans cosmology, gravity, field theory and quantum information, and is preparing AI-enabled projects through the Energy Department’s Genesis Mission.
The appointment also puts Thaler over MIT’s Center for Theoretical Physics-Leinweber Institute, which last year received what the Science Philanthropy Alliance called the field’s largest philanthropic commitment.