About
Christopher Tunnell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rice University, holding the William Marsh Rice Trustee Chair. He specializes in astroparticle physics, focusing on dark matter detection and neutrino physics. His research involves developing advanced detectors like XENONnT and contributing to projects such as DUNE. Tunnell holds a BS in Physics from the University of Texas at Austin and a DPhil in Particle Physics from the University of Oxford.
His work integrates data science and machine learning to analyze signals from Earth-based detectors, aiming to uncover dark matter in the galactic halo. Key contributions include innovations in detector technology, statistical inference methods, and collaborations on neutrino experiments. Tunnell is part of Rice's Data Science Initiative and actively participates in international collaborations like DUNE and XENON.
Recent publications emphasize advancements in XENONnT’s WIMP search, DUNE’s detector design, and neutrino interaction studies using deep learning. His research also addresses challenges like radon removal and background reduction in experiments. Tunnell’s work bridges particle physics, computational methods, and experimental engineering to advance understanding of fundamental cosmic phenomena.
