Jesse Thaler

Jesse Thaler is a Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he has been a faculty member since 2010. He is affiliated with the MIT Center for Theoretical Physics - a Leinweber Institute (CTP-LI), the Laboratory for Nuclear Science (LNS), the Statistics and Data Science Center (SDSC), and the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS). Since 2020, he has served as the inaugural Director of the NSF Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions (IAIFI).

Thaler received his Sc.B. in Math/Physics from Brown University in 2002, followed by a Ph.D. in Physics from Harvard University in 2006. From 2006 to 2009, he was a Miller Research Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley.

His research focuses on theoretical particle physics, particularly on fusing quantum field theory with machine learning techniques to address fundamental physics questions. His work spans three main areas: Data Science and AI/ML applications in particle physics, Collider Physics and QCD, and Beyond the Standard Model physics. He is an expert in jet physics, which involves studying collimated sprays of particles produced at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and he investigates jet substructure to enhance searches for new phenomena and understand gauge theory dynamics. His research also explores strategies for probing dark matter at the LHC and theoretical structures of supersymmetry.

• Data Science and AI/ML: Merging deep learning with physics principles for improved particle physics analysis
• Collider Physics and QCD: Developing new theoretical frameworks for analyzing collider data
• Beyond Standard Model: Exploring dark matter detection strategies and theoretical extensions to the Standard Model

Thaler has received numerous prestigious awards including being named an American Physical Society (APS) Fellow in 2022 and receiving a Simons Investigator Award in the same year. Other notable honors include the Fermilab Distinguished Scholar (2018-2020), Simons Fellowship in Theoretical Physics (2018), Frank E. Perkins Award for Excellence in Graduate Advising (2017), and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2012).

As an advisor, Thaler has mentored numerous Ph.D. students, postdoctoral researchers, and undergraduate students. His research group has produced significant work in jet physics, machine learning applications for particle physics, and beyond the standard model physics. He has also secured substantial research funding through grants from the Department of Energy and other agencies.

Thaler leads the Thaler Research Group at MIT and serves as Director of the NSF AI Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions, which brings together researchers from MIT, Northeastern University, Harvard University, and Tufts University to advance AI research with applications to fundamental physics.