Julio Parra-Martinez

Julio Parra-Martinez is a Permanent Professor at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHES) since 2024. Originally from Spain, he completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Valencia, followed by a MASt in Applied Mathematics from the University of Cambridge in 2015, and a PhD in Physics from UCLA in 2020. Prior to joining IHES, he was a Sherman Fairchild Prize Postdoctoral Fellow at Caltech for three years and an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia for one year.

His educational background includes:

• Undergraduate: University of Valencia, Spain
• MASt in Applied Mathematics: University of Cambridge (2015)
• PhD in Physics: University of California Los Angeles (2020)

Parra-Martinez is a theoretical physicist specializing in quantum field theory, scattering amplitudes, gravitation, effective field theories, and string theory. His recent work focuses on importing techniques from particle physics to classical general relativity, with applications to gravitational-wave and black-hole physics. He has made significant contributions to understanding how scattering amplitude techniques, originally developed for particle colliders, can be applied to gravitational systems. His research bridges the gap between quantum field theory and classical gravity, particularly in the context of binary black hole systems and gravitational wave emission.

His publication record shows a consistent focus on using scattering amplitude methods to tackle problems in gravitational physics. Over the past five years, he has published extensively on post-Minkowskian expansions, gravitational waveforms, soft theorems, and connections between quantum field theory and classical gravity. His work often involves collaborations with leading researchers in the field and demonstrates how techniques from particle physics can be adapted to gravitational systems, particularly in the context of extreme mass ratio binaries and gravitational wave physics.

Among his notable scientific achievements are:

• Mayhew Prize (2015)
• Fulbright Fellowship (2015-2020)
• Sherman Fairchild Prize Postdoctoral Fellowship

Parra-Martinez is actively involved in the theoretical physics community, with numerous upcoming seminars, talks, and lectures scheduled through 2026 at institutions worldwide including ICTP Trieste, Universidade de Sao Paulo, University of Southampton, and others. His research program continues to explore the connections between particle physics techniques and gravitational physics, with particular emphasis on gravitational wave astronomy and black hole physics.