WATERLOO, Ontario, April 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Asimina
Arvanitaki has been named the inaugural Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Aristarchus Chair in Theoretical Physics at Perimeter Institute. An
$8 million investment, shared equally
between the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and Perimeter Institute,
will support pioneering research into the universe at its most
fundamental level, as well as foster research and training ties
between Perimeter Institute and Greece.
"Asimina is an exceptional physicist," says Neil Turok, Perimeter Institute's Director. "Her
ideas bridge theory and experiment in new and creative ways. Hers
is a rare talent, needed now more than ever, when the field is on
the threshold of revolutionary advances. Thanks to this new
investment from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Asimina will have
opportunities to pursue breakthrough discoveries."
Arvanitaki joined Perimeter Institute in 2014, after earning an
undergraduate degree from the University of Athens and a graduate degree from Stanford University. Before starting at Perimeter,
she was a research associate at the Stanford Institute for
Theoretical Physics. Arvanitaki has described her research as broad
and interdisciplinary, testing theories that are beyond the
Standard Model, including supersymmetry, dark matter, and extra
dimensions.
"The Stavros Niarchos Foundation has given us the opportunity to
pursue some of the big questions in physics, and we will do our
best to help find the answers," says Arvanitaki, who becomes the
first woman to hold a research chair at Perimeter. "This will also
help us strengthen research and training ties to Greece, where there is a lot of untapped
potential. I am proud to be recognized by an organization that has
contributed so much to Greece and
the world."
While much of the field of particle physics is concerned with
the "high-energy frontier," which requires huge colliders to smash
particles, Arvanitaki's research focuses on tests at the so-called
"precision frontier." These tests seek to probe new physics with
high-precision measurements that reveal tiny deviations using
experiments that are, in some cases, small enough to fit on a table
top.
Using technologies and techniques from other fields of physics,
Arvanitaki designs novel experiments that can provide insights into
the nature of dark matter, particle interactions, and other deep
questions. The new investment will enable collaboration
between Arvanitaki and her research colleagues, the hiring of a
research team, and more.
"Asimina's work is on the cutting edge of scientific research
and carries profound implications for us all," said Eva
Polyzogopoulou, Coordinator of the Education program area at the
Stavros Niarchos Foundation. "As a Foundation, we recognize the
importance of pure research and the need to support it. But
Asimina's work is also significant in ways that transcend science
and research. As a young scientist, she will be a great inspiration
to the youth in her native Greece,
who are pursuing their dreams amidst the current crisis.
Furthermore, Asimina's appointment is a manifestation of one of
Perimeter's most defining characteristics, namely its commitment
towards attracting young scientists just entering their peak years
of research productivity, and providing them with the proper
environment and resources that would allow them to flourish and
make new and innovative scientific contributions."
The Chair is named after Aristarchus, an ancient Greek
mathematician and astronomer who proposed the first-known model
placing the sun at the center of the solar system.
For more information, read the article appearing on Perimeter's
website (to be live by 2pm EDT on
April 28):
http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/node/99742
ABOUT THE STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION
The Stavros
Niarchos Foundation (www.SNF.org) is one of the world's leading
private international philanthropic organizations, making
grants in the areas of arts and culture, education, health and
sports, and social welfare. The Foundation funds
organizations and projects that are expected to achieve a broad,
lasting and positive impact for society at large, focusing on
vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly, and also
exhibit strong leadership and sound management. The Foundation also
seeks actively to support projects that facilitate the formation of
public-private partnerships as an effective means for serving
public welfare.
Since 1996, the SNF has made grant commitments of $1.8
billion / €1.5 billion, through 3,438 grants to nonprofit
organizations in 111 nations around the world.
ABOUT PERIMETER INSTITUTE
Perimeter Institute is the
world's largest research hub devoted to theoretical physics. The
independent Institute was founded in 1999 to foster breakthroughs
in the fundamental understanding of our universe, from the smallest
particles to the entire cosmos. Research at Perimeter is motivated
by the understanding that fundamental science advances human
knowledge and catalyzes innovation, and that today's theoretical
physics is tomorrow's technology. Located in the Region of
Waterloo, the not-for-profit
Institute is a unique public-private endeavour, including the
Governments of Ontario and
Canada, that enables cutting-edge
research, trains the next generation of scientific pioneers, and
shares the power of physics through award-winning educational
outreach and public engagement.
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/physics-at-the-precision-frontier-gets-8m-boost-from-new-partnership-300258958.html
SOURCE The Stavros Niarchos Foundation