Matias Zaldarriaga

Matias Zaldarriaga is the Richard Black Professor in the School of Natural Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), Princeton. His research focuses on theoretical cosmology, gravitational waves, and the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). He has held previous faculty positions at Harvard University (2003-2009) and New York University (2001-2002).

Education:

• Ph.D. in Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1998
• Licenciado en Ciencias Físicas, Universidad de Buenos Aires, 1994

Zaldarriaga's work centers on decoding the early universe through CMB analysis and gravitational-wave astrophysics. He investigates inflation, large-scale structure formation, and black hole dynamics, leveraging advanced statistical methods to probe fundamental physics from cosmological data.

His recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate a strong focus on gravitational-wave data analysis, including novel algorithms for detecting binary black hole mergers, constraints on inflationary physics from large-scale surveys, and modeling supermassive black hole evolution. Key themes include higher-order waveform harmonics, pulsar timing arrays, and computational innovations for gravitational-wave astronomy.

Awards and Honors:

• Gruber Cosmology Prize (2021)
• MacArthur Fellowship (2006)
• European Physical Society Gribov Medal (2005)
• Sloan Fellowship (2004)
• Helen B. Warner Prize, American Astronomical Society (2003)
• Packard Fellowship (2001)

He collaborates extensively with international teams (e.g., LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA, DESI) and mentors researchers in cosmology and astrophysics. His group develops open-source tools for gravitational-wave inference and cosmological parameter estimation.