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Natalia Toro

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Natalia Toro
Bornc. 1985 (age 38–39)
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Harvard University
Known fordark matter, particle physics
SpousePhilip Schuster
Scientific career
FieldsPhysics
InstitutionsPerimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
ThesisFundamental Physics at the Threshold of Discovery (2007)
Doctoral advisorNima Arkani-Hamed
Websitewww.perimeterinstitute.ca/people/Natalia-Toro

Natalia Toro (born c. 1985) is an American particle physicist known for her pioneering work in the study of dark matter. Based at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario, Toro was the youngest winner of the Intel Science Talent Search and was awarded the 2015 New Horizons in Physics Prize.

Early life and education

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Toro is the daughter of Dr. Gabriel and Beatriz Toro. She began taking college level classes in sixth grade and was a member of the United States Physics Olympiad Team in 1998.[1] At the age of 14 she won the 1999 Intel Science Talent Search, the youngest winner in the history of the prize.[2] At the time, Toro was a senior at Fairview High School in Boulder, Colorado, having skipped fifth, seventh and eighth grade. She won the prize in recognition of research regarding the oscillations of neutrinos and their impact on high-energy physics undertaken at the Research Science Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where Edmund Bertschinger served as her mentor.[3][4]

Toro completed a PhD at Harvard University in 2007 under the supervision of Nima Arkani-Hamed.[5] Her thesis was titled: Fundamental Physics at the Threshold of Discovery.[6] Following the completion of her PhD, Toro worked as a research associate at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.[5] Between 2007–2010, she pursued postdoctoral studies in the Department of Physics at Stanford University.[7]

Career

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Toro joined the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario in 2010 as a junior faculty member in the Particle Physics program.[5] She frequently collaborates with husband Philip Schuster on research regarding the nature of dark matter.[8] Together they have developed a research framework as part of the Heavy Photon Search, contributed to the Beam Dump Experiment and served as co-leads of A Prime Experiment at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Virginia.[9][10]

In 2015 Toro and Schuster won the New Horizons in Physics Prize for their work advancing new approaches for searches at the Large Hadron Collider and experimental searches for dark matter.[10][11][12][13]

Awards

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  • 1999 - Intel Science Talent Search
  • 2014 - New Horizons in Physics Prize
  • 2021 - Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Prize Recipient". www.aps.org. APS Physics. 2000. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  2. ^ "Sixteen years later, youngest Intel STS top winner returns to speak to finalists". Student Science. 31 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  3. ^ Honan, William H. (3 March 1999). "A 14-Year-Old Wins Top Prize In Intel Contest". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  4. ^ "Awards and Honors". MIT News. 17 March 1999. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  5. ^ a b c "Two New Faculty Members to Join Perimeter Institute". www.newswise.com. 14 June 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Harvard PhD Theses in Physics: 2000 to Present | Harvard University Department of Physics". Harvard University Department of Physics. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  7. ^ "Natalia Toro". Perimeter Institute. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  8. ^ Simone, R. (17 September 2011). "On the dark side of the universe". TheRecord.com. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  9. ^ "Physicist Trio Amplifies SLAC Research on Mysterious Forms of Matter". SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  10. ^ a b Bow, Erin (11 November 2014). "Schuster and Toro Awarded New Horizons Prize". Perimeter Institute.
  11. ^ "Breakthrough Prize – Fundamental Physics Breakthrough Prize Laureates - Natalia Toro". breakthroughprize.org. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  12. ^ Mercer, Greg (12 November 2014). "Waterloo couple win $100,000 prize for research into dark matter". TheRecord.com. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  13. ^ Csanady, Ashley (3 December 2014). "Looking for the keys to the next big thing in physics". canada.com. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  14. ^ "Energy Secretary Granholm Announces 2021 Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award Winners".

Further reading

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