Ruston, LA - Eleven scientists from Louisiana Tech University are among the global team of researchers honored with the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, awarded to the ATLAS Collaboration at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. This recognition, shared with sister experiments ALICE, CMS, and LHCb, celebrates groundbreaking contributions to humanity’s understanding of the universe’s fundamental structure.

Louisiana Tech has played a vital role in the “Run 2” (second data period) of the ATLAS experiment since 2007, establishing itself as a national leader in high-energy physics research. The University’s contributions span calorimeter operation, software development, and scientific leadership — all essential to the success of ATLAS, one of the largest and most complex scientific instruments ever built.

“This is a proud moment for Louisiana Tech,” said Dr. Lee Sawyer, professor of physics, academic director of physics and chemistry, and member of the CERN-based ATLAS operations team. “The Breakthrough Prize recognizes not only the science, but the people who make it possible. Our team’s work on calorimeter systems and jet calibration has helped shape the direction of one of the world’s most ambitious scientific collaborations.”

Louisiana Tech’s ATLAS team includes:

• Faculty: Dr. Lee Sawyer, Dr. Markus Wobisch, Dr. ZD Greenwood (emeritus)
• Postdoctoral Researchers: Dr. Catrin Bernius, Dr. Giulio Grossi, Dr. Dilip Jana, Dr. Matthew Tamsett
• Graduate Student: Zahra Farazpay
• Alumni Contributors: Alex Christian Johnson, Debottam BakshiGupta and Connor Waits

“The Breakthrough Prize on April 12 is a testament to the dedication and ingenuity of the ATLAS Collaboration and our colleagues across the LHC experiments,” said ATLAS spokesperson Stephane Willocq. “This prize recognizes the collective vision and monumental effort of thousands of ATLAS collaborators worldwide.”

“It is a beautiful recognition of the collective efforts, dedication, competence and hard work of thousands of people from all over the world who contribute daily to pushing the boundaries of human knowledge,” added Fabiola Gianotti, director-general of CERN.

As the ATLAS Collaboration looks ahead to future discoveries with the current “Run 3” High-Luminosity LHC upgrade, Louisiana Tech’s team remains deeply engaged. From developing advanced detector monitoring tools to training the next generation of physicists, Tech continues to push the frontier of discovery.