Kerstin Perez
Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Research Focus
Research Interests
About Kerstin
Prof. Perez is interested in using cosmic particles to look for evidence of dark matter interactions. Her work focuses on opening sensitivity to unexplored cosmic signatures, with impact at the intersection of particle physics, astrophysics, and advanced instrumental techniques. Prof. Perez is Deputy-PI of the GAPS experiment, an Antarctic balloon mission that aims to detect low-energy antinuclei as uniquely low-background dark matter signatures of dark matter. In addition, her group uses astrophysical X-rays to probe dark matter and stellar remnant physics, and is developing X-ray optics for the International Axion Observatory (IAXO).
Kerstin Perez is originally from West Philadelphia. She earned her B.A. from Columbia University in 2005 and her Ph.D. from Caltech in 2011. In 2015, she was appointed as an Assistant Professor of Physics at Haverford College, before joining MIT as an Assistant Professor of Physics in 2016.
Honors
Cottrell Scholar Award
Sloan Research Fellowship
Education
Postdoc
Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University, 12/2014
Ph.D.
Physics, California Institute of Technology, 05/2011
Master's
California Institute of Technology
Bachelor's
Physics, Columbia University, 05/2005
