Joseph A. Formaggio

Biography

Joseph Formaggio received his B. S. degree from Yale University in physics in 1996. Thereafter, he received his Ph.D. in physics from Columbia University, where he did his dissertation on neutrino physics by analyzing data taken at the NuTeV experiment located at the Fermi National Laboratory. His research focused on searches for exotic particles predicted by certain theoretical extensions of the standard model of particle physics. In 2001, he joined the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington, where he was later appointed as a research assistant professor. He has been at MIT as Associate Professor since 2010 and was appointed Division Head, Experimental Nuclear and Particle Physics, as of July 1, 2015. Professor Formaggio lives with his wife, Jaymi, and his two children, Joshua and Coby.

Research Interest

An astonishing culmination of discoveries taking place over the last decade has led to a revolution in our understanding of neutrinos–one of nature’s most elusive particles. Whereas just ten years ago it was commonly accepted that neutrinos were massless particles, a number of key experiments have shown that concept was incorrect. Experiments studying neutrinos from atmospheric, solar, and reactor sources have shown conclusively that neutrinos change flavor and, as a consequence, have a very small but finite mass. This serves to remind us that the standard model of nuclear and particle physics is incomplete. Knowledge of the neutrino mass can provide direction as how to extend that model.