Kenneth Heller

Professor Kenneth Heller is a faculty member in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota, where he conducts research in high energy physics and physics education. His office is located in the Physics and Nanotechnology Building on the Minneapolis campus.

• Position: Professor
• Department: Physics
• Contact: helle001@umn.edu | 612-624-7314

Professor Heller's research spans two major domains: experimental particle physics and physics education. In particle physics, he specializes in neutrino and muon experiments that probe beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. His work with the NOvA neutrino experiment investigates neutrino oscillations, mass hierarchy, and potential explanations for the matter-dominated universe. He is also involved in the Mu2e experiment, which searches for charged lepton flavor violation through muon-to-electron conversion. In physics education, Heller leads research on effective teaching methods, problem-solving approaches, and computational integration in physics curriculum.

His recent publications demonstrate strong focus on neutrino physics, particularly through the NOvA experiment, with methodological advances in statistical analysis and detector technology. The research shows consistent involvement in major collaborations at Fermilab and emphasizes precision measurements to detect potential new physics phenomena. His educational research complements his experimental work by exploring how students learn physics concepts and how computational tools can enhance understanding.

Professor Heller has been PI or CoI on multiple significant research grants, including:

• Mechanical Manager Effort for Assembly of Power Supply Modules (2024-2025)
• Sustainably Integrating Computation Throughout the Physics Major Degree (2023-2026)
• Tracker Straw Preparation, Tracker Panel Construction, Panel QC (2019-2025)
• Experimental Research at the Intensity Frontier in High Energy Physics (2014-2026)

Heller leads research groups focused on both high energy experimentation and physics education. His experimental work involves detector development and analysis for neutrino and muon experiments, while his education research group investigates student problem-solving approaches and computational integration in physics instruction. His current projects indicate active engagement through 2025 with ongoing detector construction and data analysis efforts.