Aaron Vincent

Queen's University

Assistant Professor - Physics

Following a PhD at McGill University, Aaron completed postdocs at the University of Valencia in Spain, and at the Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology at Durham University. He then worked as a Junior Research Fellow at Imperial College London. As an astroparticle theorist, much of his work involves looking at observational data to understand the relationship between phenomena on the astronomical scale and those at the level of particle physics.

Some of the areas he is currently exploring include the impact of dark matter on stars, how neutrino telescopes can help us discover new laws of nature, and what the cosmos can say about our understanding of physics as a whole.

Contact Information
Room 208H, Stirling Hall
Queen’s University
Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6
Email: aaron.vincent@queensu.ca

• Department Website

Can you describe your work at the McDonald Institute?

As a theorist, they don’t let me push buttons (this is probably a good thing). Part of my work is as a bridge between the particle and astronomy groups at Queen’s: this involves trying think of ways to maximize the discovery potential of the various McDonald Institute experiments and make connections with what we know more broadly from astronomy and astrophysics. In this capacity I get to interact both with leaders of the SNOLAB experiments and with the world-class astronomers at Queen’s. I’m also interested in statistical and computational approaches that help us make sense of all of the things that nature is trying to tell us through data in our experiments.

What is a project that stands out as a highlight in your career?

The next project is always the most interesting: I like expanding my knowledge and trying to wrap my head around new ideas and approaches. That said, my work on dark matter in the sun produced some very interesting and unexpected results, and even made its way into some popular science publications. I had a lot of fun talking to science journalists from around the world.

Something that might surprise your students?

I enjoy cooking. Some of my recent culinary adventures have involved spherification, sous-vide, smoking, and cheesemaking (not all at the same time, mind you). A few of these experiments produced very tasty results. Several did not.