Naomi C R Makins

Naomi C R Makins is a Research Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, affiliated with the Department of Physics within The Grainger College of Engineering. Her research focuses on understanding the proton's structure, including spin dynamics, antiquark asymmetry, and fragmentation processes. She holds a Ph.D. in Physics from MIT (1994) and joined UIUC in 1997, progressing through academic ranks to become a Professor Emerita. Key contributions include leadership in the HERMES and SeaQuest experiments, where she pioneered Monte Carlo simulations and detector upgrades.

Education:

• Ph.D., Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1994
• Bachelor's Degree, Physics, University of Alberta, 1989

Research interests emphasize non-perturbative QCD phenomena and experimental high-energy physics. Her work addresses the proton's spin puzzle, sea quark flavor asymmetry, and hadron formation. She led the HERMES Monte Carlo group and designed hardware for the SeaQuest experiment's forward scintillator hodoscopes.

Scientific Honors:

• Fellow, American Physical Society (2011)
• Willett Faculty Scholar (2001–2008)
• Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship (1999)
• Arnold Nordsieck Teaching Award (2004)

Teaching and Advising: She has taught advanced physics courses (e.g., Subatomic Physics, Quantum Mechanics) and been recognized repeatedly for teaching excellence. Her group specializes in software development, data analysis, and experimental instrumentation.

Labs/Teams: Active in HERMES (DESY), SeaQuest (Fermilab), and proposed projects at CERN's COMPASS-II. Involved in detector design and Monte Carlo simulations for future spin-dependent experiments.