Gian Michele Innocenti (PI)

Assistant Professor of Physics, MIT

Gian Michele is an experimental physicists who focuses on characterizing novel regimes of Quantum-Chromo Dynamics by exploring collisions of ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. He has created the MIT PixElφ Lab to exploit MAPS sensors to build a high-accuracy tracker detector for high-energy physics and nuclar experiments. He is co-coordinating the new working group for the test and characterization of MAPS sensors for the future the Silicon Vertex Tracker detector of the ePIC collaboration at the Electron-Ion Collider.

Gunther Roland

Professor of Physics, MIT
Division Head, Experimental Nuclear and Particle Physics

Professor Roland studies the properties of strongly interacting matter under extreme conditions, such as those achieved in collisions of ultra-relativistic lead-lead collisions at the LHC and RHIC. He is currently spokesperson of the sPHENIX collaboration, and he is leading the MVTX project for sPHENIX.

Jelena Lalic

Jelena is an Electronics Engineer within MIT’s heavy ion group and she is playing a major role in the R&D for the digital design of the new generation MAPS sensor. She specializes in digital ASIC design and physical implementation. Before joining MIT, Jelena worked at CERN and gained consulting experience in the industry. Beyond her work, Jelena gallops into the world of horseback riding and frequently takes to the tennis court.

Ivan Amos Calĩ

Ivan is a research scientist with a long experience in silicon detector technology. He participated in the development, characterisation and testing of the Silicon Pixel Detector (SPD) for the ALICE experiment. After joining CMS, he participated in the characterisation of silicon pixels and silicon strip detectors for heavy-ion data taking and developed the control and calibration software suite of the MVTX detector for the sPHENIX experiment. He is now developing the readout and detector characterisation system for the SVT at the ePIC experiment. Readout chains, and control and readout software suites, have been significant part of his curriculum. 

Leyre Flores

Leyre Flores is a hybrid electronics engineer and applied physicist with extensive experience in detector development. After completing her engineering studies, she moved to Glasgow to work on the ATLAS ITk Upgrade for HL-LHC, focusing on signal integrity for high-speed low-mass links. During this time, she discovered Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS) and became fascinated by their potential, prompting her to pursue a PhD at CERN in the design and characterization of these detectors. To consolidate her expertise, she completed a fellowship in system testing, gaining an all round knowledge of large-scale electrical readout systems and their operation. When not at work, you’ll likely find her running outdoors.

Cameron Dean

Cameron is a postdoctoral researcher in the MIT heavy ion research group and has worked with silicon detectors since 2014 for several collaborations. Cameron’s research has included high speed signalling, hardware development, and cluster algorithm design to enable studies of heavy flavor physics in quark-gluon plasma.

Michael Peters

Michael Peters is a seventh-year PhD student who has been involved with the commissioning and operation of silicon detectors since 2018, at the ALICE experiment at the LHC and the sPHENIX experiment at RHIC. His research has involved the design and development of control and monitoring software and hardware protection interlocks for the ITS2 detector at ALICE and the MVTX detector at sPHENIX, along with their supporting readout and power electronics. His work also includes the development of clustering and track seeding algorithms for various tracking detectors in sPHENIX. Outside of work, Michael plays, arranges, and composes music for several classical and jazz music groups at MIT.

Jordan Lang

Jordan is a first year PhD student with interests in high-density QCD studies and detector design for high-energy experiements. Before studying physics, Jordan worked professionally in product design, and still enjoys model building and illustration.

Abraham Holtermann

More to come….

Laura Sewell

Laura Sewell is a seasoned higher education professional. Her professional journey has seen her contributions at esteemed institutions such as Yale University, the University of Texas at Dallas, and Southwestern University. Prior to her role as a Project Coordinator for the MIT PixElφ Lab, Laura served as the Director of the Sarofim School of Fine Arts at Southwestern University, where she honed her leadership and organizational skills. Holding a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre, Laura brings a unique blend of creative insight and administrative acumen to her work, ensuring the successful execution of projects and initiatives in the academic sphere.