Bhupal Dev

Associate Professor of Physics

PHD, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
MS, INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE
BSC, UTKAL UNIVERSITY

research interests:

Elementary Particle Physics

Particle Astrophysics

Cosmology

Theoretical Physics

Professor Dev's main research goal is to establish a clear and coherent picture of the new physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics.

While the standard model has been remarkably successful in providing a quantitative, quantum mechanical description of the strong, weak and electromagnetic interactions among the basic building blocks of nature, it cannot be the ultimate theory of our universe. In particular, it fails to explain the observed non-zero neutrino masses, matter-antimatter asymmetry, dark matter and dark energy in the universe.

Dev’s research focuses on both theoretical and phenomenological aspects of the underlying new physics scenarios that could address these outstanding puzzles of our universe. They might also shed light on other theoretical or aesthetic limitations of the standard model, such as the radiative stability of the Higgs boson, gauge coupling unification, and flavor puzzle. Assuming that the scale of new physics might be within an experimentally accessible range, Dev is primarily interested in exploring testable consequences of new physics models at current and future experiments at multiple fundamental physics frontiers. He is also interested in exploring new interdisciplinary avenues for new physics searches, such as those involving multi-messenger astrophysics and nuclear physics.

Professional History

2023-present: Associate Professor at Washington University
2016-2023: Assistant Professor at Washington University
2015-2016: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, Heidelberg
2015: University Foundation Fellow, Technical University of Munich
2012-2015: Postdoctoral Fellow, Consortium for Fundamental Physics, University of Manchester

Honors and Awards

2022: URA Visiting Scholars Award, Universities Research Association
2020: Intensity Frontier Fellowship, Fermilab
2015: University Foundation Fellowship, Technical University of Munich
2006: Junior Research Fellowship, Government of India

recent courses

Introduction to Particle Physics (Physics 474)

Introduction to the standard model of particle physics, including symmetries, conservation laws, the weak interaction, the strong interaction, quark confinement, and some more exotic ideas such as grand unified theories.

Physics I (Physics 191)

Calculus-based introduction to the concepts, laws, and structure of physics. Topics include kinematics, Newton's laws, energy, linear momentum, angular momentum, the conservation laws, gravitational force, harmonic motion, wave motion and interference, sound, and special relativity.

Group Theory and Symmetries in Physics (Physics 543)

Symmetries offer beautiful explanations for many otherwise incomprehensible physical phenomena in Nature. Group theory is the underlying mathematical framework to study symmetries, with far-reaching applications in many areas of physics, including solid state physics, atomic and molecular physics, gravitational physics, and particle physics. We will discuss many of the fascinating mathematical aspects of group theory, but highlighting its physics applications.

Computational Methods (Physics 584)

This course provides an introduction to the computational techniques that are most widely used in both theoretical and experimental research in physics. Each lecture will use a realistic research problem to introduce the algorithms, software packages and numerical techniques that will be used by the students to develop a solution on the computer. Topics include Monte Carlo techniques, symbolic analysis with Mathematica, data acquisition software used in the laboratory, the numerical solution of quantum mechanical problems, and an introduction to general purpose frameworks based on Python.