Professor Mu-Chun Chen is a theoretical particle physicist at the University of California, Irvine. Currently, she also serves as Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the School of Physical Sciences. Chen is researching the properties of the elementary particles and fundamental forces of Nature, which could help unveil what happened within a fraction of a second after the Big Bang. Together with a diverse group of excellent students and colleagues, she is focusing on exploring the possible origin of neutrino masses and oscillations, as well as answering the following questions:
- What is the origin of neutrino masses?
- Are neutrinos their own antiparticles?
- Is there a Grand Unified Theory that unifies all the fundamental forces?
- What is the origin of the matter-antimatter asymmetry?
Academic Career
Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, 2016 – present
Associate Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, 2010 – 2016
Assistant Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, 2006 – 2010
Research Associate, Fermilab, 2005-2006
Research Associate, Brookhaven National Lab, 2002-2005
Research Area
Theoretical High Energy Physics
Education
National Taiwan University, B.S. in Physics, 1996
University of Colorado at Boulder, PhD in Physics, 2002
SELECTED AWARDS
2019 UC Irvine Dr. De Gallow Professor of the Year Award nominee
2019 Department of Physics and Astronomy Undergraduate Teaching Award, UC Irvine (Selected by the graduating class of Physics and Astronomy students as the faculty member who most inspired them in their undergraduate studies)
2019 School of Physical Sciences Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education, UC Irvine
2015 Humboldt Research Fellowship, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
2015 Carl Friedrich von Siemens Fellowship, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
2012 School of Physical Sciences Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education, UC Irvine
2010 Faculty Career Development Award, UC Irvine
2009 Erice Fellowship, Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture
2008 Most Valuable Referee for Physics Letters B, Elsevier
1998 Graduate Tuition Fellowship, University of Colorado, Boulder
Contact Information
Frederick Reines Hall Room 3127
Office: +1 (949) 385-0246
muchunc-at-uci.edu