Denver Whittington, assistant professor in the Department of Physics, is principal investigator for a five-year National Science Foundation CAREER award. The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program supports faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their organization.

His work, “Enhancing Future Liquid Argon Neutrino Experiments with Xenon,” involves finding new ways to detect neutrino interactions. Neutrinos are one of the most abundant particles in the universe yet are one of the least understood. They weigh almost nothing and travel close to the speed of light, making them very elusive. Their existence is thought to be a clue to the origins of the universe.

As part of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) in South Dakota, Prof. Whittington hopes to find out more about this extremely tiny particle.