Kent Yagi

Kent Yagi is an Associate Professor in the Physics Department at the University of Virginia, specializing in theoretical astrophysics, gravity, and cosmology. His research focuses on using gravitational waves from compact objects like black holes and neutron stars to probe fundamental physics, including testing General Relativity in strong-field regimes and determining the equation of state of nuclear matter.

• Position: Associate Professor (2023-present), previously Assistant Professor (2017-2023)
• Education: Ph.D. in Physics from Kyoto University (2012)
• Prior positions: Postdoctoral Research Scholar at Princeton University (2015-2017), Postdoctoral Research Associate at Montana State University (2012-2015)

Yagi's research centers on theoretical modeling of neutron stars and gravitational wave physics. He is particularly known for discovering the 'I-Love-Q' universal relations among neutron star observables that are insensitive to the equation of state. His work enables testing strong-field gravity and probing nuclear physics through gravitational wave observations. He also investigates binary pulsar systems as precision laboratories for testing gravitational theories beyond General Relativity.

His research has significant implications for multi-messenger astronomy, connecting gravitational wave observations with electromagnetic counterparts to extract fundamental physics. The field has evolved rapidly since the first gravitational wave detection in 2015, and Yagi's theoretical predictions have helped shape how we interpret these observations to test gravity and nuclear physics in extreme conditions.

• NSF CAREER Award (2023)
• Sloan Research Fellowship (2019)
• IUPAP Young Scientist Prize (2019)
• Mead Honored Faculty (2018-2019)

Yagi leads an active research group at UVA with multiple graduate and undergraduate students. His group collaborates with researchers across departments, including high energy physicists, nuclear physicists, astronomers, and researchers at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Current research directions include multi-band gravitational wave tests of general relativity, constraining nuclear matter parameters with GW170817, and developing parameterized post-Einsteinian gravitational waveform models for various modified gravity theories. The group has received multiple student research fellowships and awards, demonstrating strong mentorship and training of the next generation of physicists.