Viktor Zacek

Dr. Viktor Zacek is a Full Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Montreal, affiliated with the Particle Physics Group. He has held this position since 1994 and is based at the René-J.-A.-Lévesque Laboratory. His research focuses on experimental particle physics, astroparticle physics, cosmology, dark matter, and neutrino physics, with a strong emphasis on instrumentation development. He leads the PICASSO/PICO collaboration, pioneering superheated liquid detection techniques for dark matter studies, and has contributed to projects like OPAL at CERN and the CHARMII experiment.

Education: PhD from Technische Universität München (TUM), Germany. Earlier roles include research at CERN, INFN Roma II, and the Gösgen Reactor. He teaches courses such as PHY2601 (Subatomic Physics), PHY3070 (Relativity II), PHY3600 (Nuclear Physics), and PHY6668 (Modern Cosmology). His work integrates particle physics with cosmological questions, leveraging collaborations across institutions like SNOLAB and Queen's University.

Key contributions include advancing detection methods for dark matter and neutrino physics. His research group's PICASSO experiment achieved leadership in spin-dependent dark matter detection. While no specific awards are listed, his international collaborations highlight his impact in astroparticle physics.