Physicist Laura Fields granted a Presidential Early Career Award
Laura Fields, an associate professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Notre Dame, received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) for her research studying the properties of fundamental particles called neutrinos.
Fields was among the nearly 400 researchers who were named awardees by President Joe Biden on January 14. PECASE is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government for scientists and engineers early in their careers.
Neutrinos are produced in many places in the universe, and the ones Fields studies are created using particle accelerators. Her research grant from the DOE in 2020, while she was a staff scientist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), funded several measurements that will help scientists better understand neutrino beams. She has continued that work at Notre Dame since 2021.
“We currently have a surprisingly poor understanding of the number of neutrinos created in accelerator-based neutrino beams,” she said, adding that her reaction to the recent honor is one of gratitude.
“The research I proposed was not the most glamorous work; it will not directly answer any of the big outstanding questions about how our universe works,” she said. “But it will help turn our accelerator-based neutrino beams into the precise tools we need to answer some of those questions.
“So I'm glad this type of work is being recognized and hope it encourages more people to work on this important (and fun!) topic.”
Fields earned her bachelor’s degree in physics and math from the University of Arkansas, a certificate of advanced study in mathematics from the University of Cambridge and her master’s and doctorate degrees in physics from Cornell University. She was an associate scientist at Fermilab before being named an associate professor at Notre Dame.
“We were lucky to recruit Dr. Fields to join our department,” said Morten Eskildsen, chair of the Department of Physics & Astronomy. “Laura has, in a short amount of time, been able to revitalize our research in the field of neutrino physics, and I am pleased that she is being recognized with the PECASE.”
Established by President Bill Clinton in 1996, PECASE recognizes scientists and engineers who show exceptional potential for leadership early in their research careers. The award recognizes innovative and far-reaching developments in science and technology and expands awareness of careers in science and engineering. This year’s awardees are employed or funded by 14 participating agencies within the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Interior, Transportation and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, the intelligence community, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution.
While grateful for the recognition, Fields said that none of her research would be possible without the support of her department, students and postdoctoral fellows. She said she appreciates the support of many collaborators on projects including the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, the Experiment to Measure the Production of Hadrons At a Testbeam In Chicagoland, and SPS Heavy Ion and Neutrino Experiment.
Originally published by at science.nd.edu on January 17, 2025.
Latest Faculty & Staff
- On the eve of COP30 in Brazil, Notre Dame convenes faculty in São PauloSince its founding, the University of Notre Dame has sought to address the world’s most pressing challenges through scholarship, partnership and service. Responding to the growing urgency of environmental change requires precisely this kind of collaboration, bringing together universities, researchers and communities to create solutions that are just, sustainable and grounded in shared responsibility for our planet. This November, COP30 will convene in Belem, Brazil. Capitalizing on Notre Dame’s presence in São Paulo, Notre Dame Global and Notre Dame São Paulo will host a conference together with Notre Dame Research and the Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership (NDDCEL), the week before the international climate summit.
- Faculty receive prestigious early career awards from National Science FoundationDuring the 2024-25 academic year, four researchers in the University of Notre Dame’s Colleges of Engineering and Science received early-career awards from the National Science Foundation.
- In new research, Roy Scranton explores climate change and the limits of human progressIn his most recent book, “Impasse: Climate Change and the Limits of Progress,” Scranton, an associate professor of English, defines the impasse he sees as “not only political and institutional, but cognitive, existential and narrative” and asserts that the only path forward is through embracing what he terms ethical pessimism. “A lot of people confuse pessimism with nihilism, apathy and despair,” Scranton said. “But pessimism is actually about recognizing our limits, letting go of unrealistic goals, finding solidarity in the fact of human suffering and doing what you can now, not in some utopian future.
- Joule Bergerson, energy technology assessment expert, named new director of ND EnergyND Energy faculty director Joule…
- In memoriam: Alasdair MacIntyre, the Rev. John A. O’Brien senior research professor of philosophy emeritusAlasdair MacIntyre, the Rev. John A. O’Brien senior research professor of philosophy emeritus and a permanent senior distinguished research fellow at the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, died on May 21, 2025. He was 96.
- Santiago Schnell, dean of Notre Dame’s College of Science, appointed as provost of DartmouthSantiago Schnell, the William K. Warren Foundation Dean of the College of Science at the University of Notre Dame, has accepted an appointment as provost at Dartmouth College. He will depart Notre Dame at the end of June and begin his new role in July.
