Peter Adshead

Peter Adshead is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He is also a Compton Faculty Fellow. His research focuses on theoretical cosmology, including inflationary physics, the early universe, cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation, and the reheating phase transition. He holds a BSc from the University of Canterbury (2004) and a PhD from Yale University (2010).

Education:

• PhD in Physics, Yale University, 2010
• BSc (First Class Honors), University of Canterbury, 2004

Research Interests: Adshead explores the interplay between high-energy particle physics and cosmology, particularly the statistical consequences of CMB data parameterization, perturbation theory during inflation, and gravitational wave backgrounds. His work aims to develop consistent models of the early universe and design observational tests.

Awards:

• Compton Faculty Fellow

Teaching and Excellence: Adshead teaches courses such as University Physics: Mechanics and Classical Mechanics I & II. He has been recognized as an outstanding teacher in multiple semesters, including Fall 2023 (PHYS 325) and Fall 2016 (PHYS 326).