Gilbert Holder

Dr. Gilbert Holder is the Brand & Monica Fortner Endowed Chair in Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Department of Physics (Grainger College of Engineering). He specializes in cosmology, astrophysics, and gravitational physics, focusing on dark matter/dark energy dynamics, cosmic microwave background (CMB) analysis, and gravitational lensing. His research leverages instruments like the South Pole Telescope (SPT-3G) to probe early universe structures and cosmic evolution.

Education: PhD in Astronomy & Astrophysics (University of Chicago, 2001), MSc/BSc in Physics (Queen's University, Canada, 1996/1994). Previous roles include Canada Research Chair at McGill University and Keck Fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton).

Research interests span theoretical astrophysics, including CMB fine-scale structure, dark matter mapping via gravitational lensing, and detection of 'dark galaxies'. Recent collaborations include NSF-funded projects and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research's Cosmology & Gravity Program.

Publications emphasize CMB lensing, SPT survey results, and cosmological constraints from multi-probe data. Honors include the Endowed Chair (2016) and Canada Research Chair (2005).

Teaching includes undergraduate/graduate physics courses (e.g., PHYS 325 Classical Mechanics), with recognition for outstanding teaching (2021, 2020, 2017).

Labs/Teams: National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCASA), Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), South Pole Telescope collaborations.