Thomas Shutt

Thomas Shutt is a Professor of Particle Physics and Astrophysics at Stanford University, with a courtesy appointment in the Physics department. He serves as a Senior Member at the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC) and holds a faculty position at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory within the Fundamental Physics Directorate. His office is located at the Fred Kavli Building at 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California.

Professor Shutt's research focuses on experimental particle astrophysics, particularly in the area of dark matter detection. His work centers on developing and utilizing xenon-based detectors, especially through the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment, to search for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). His research interests span particle physics, astrophysics, and the development of advanced detection technologies for rare-event physics experiments.

Analysis of his recent publications (2016-2017) reveals a strong emphasis on data analysis from the LUX experiment, with particular attention to improving sensitivity for low-mass WIMPs, developing calibration techniques using tritium sources, and implementing advanced trigger systems using FPGA technology. His work consistently contributes to setting increasingly stringent limits on WIMP-nucleon interaction cross-sections across multiple channels.

Professor Shutt actively mentors graduate students, serving as Doctoral Dissertation Advisor for Bahrudin Trbalic and Doctoral Dissertation Co-Advisor for Drew Ames. He teaches independent research courses including PHYSICS 190 (Independent Research and Study) and PHYSICS 490 (Research) across all academic quarters. His laboratory work is primarily conducted through the LUX collaboration and previously through the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) experiment, representing significant contributions to the field of direct dark matter detection.