DrLinda Cremonesi

I am a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and Associate Professor in Particle Physics. My research focuses on the tiniest bit of matter our brains could think of, neutrinos, and their role in the evolution of the universe. Neutrinos come in three flavours, and since the '90s we have known that they can change flavour when they travel from one place to another. My research focuses on studying this phenomenon for both neutrinos and their antimatter counterpart, antineutrinos, to better understand why there's so much matter (and not antimatter) in the universe today.

To do this, I work closely with two neutrino experiments, NOvA and DUNE. NOvA is an experiment based in the US, where a beam of neutrinos is produced at Fermilab, near Chicago, Illinois, and directed 810km to Minnesota to observe what happens. I have been the Analysis Coordinator of NOvA since 2022, overseeing the development of all of the physics analyses of the experiment. DUNE is the evolution of NOvA, using larger detectors and a more powerful beam, and is currently in the construction phase. On DUNE, I lead the Near Detector Physics group, focusing on the development of simulation and reconstruction algorithms for all of the subdetectors. These include classical algorithms as well as the latest machine learning developments.

On top of my research work, I am deeply passionate about public engagement, and I take every opportunity to deliver outreach activities to underrepresented groups and the wider public. I have organised and participated in a variety of exhibitions, for example, the Science Museum Lates and the Royal Society Summer Exhibition. I am regularly invited to speak about my research and experience all over the UK and worldwide, including on BBC News, BBC Radio 5, Science Showoff, the Cheltenham Science Festival, and various podcast series.