The FRIB Users Organization Executive Committee and the FRIB Theory Alliance Executive Board have announced the winners of the 2024 FRIB Achievement Award for Early Career Researchers. Timothy Gray, research assistant professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is the recipient of the 2024 experimental award. Chloë Hebborn, assistant professor of physics at FRIB, is the recipient of the 2024 theory award.
The selection committee stated:
Dr. Timothy Gray’s research focuses on the nuclear structure of neutron-rich nuclei. Dr. Gray plays a crucial role in the FRIB Decay Station initiator (FDSi) from design and testing, setup and execution of the experiments, and development of analysis software. Their publication record is outstanding and their technical innovations during the first FRIB experiment led to the discovery of a microsecond isomer in 32Na, resulting in a high-profile publication. Their contributions to efforts beyond the FDSi are also remarkable. Dr. Gray’s impressive scientific leadership was noted by all of the committee members.
Dr. Chloë Hebborn’s research focuses on developing and applying state-of-the-art methods to compute optical potentials and nuclear reactions of exotic nuclei that are of great importance to the scientific program at FRIB. The committee noted that Dr. Hebborn’s work on the ab initio prediction of Big Bang radiative capture rates of deuteron on helium nuclei is already considered a milestone in the field. In addition to Dr. Hebborn’s impressive research publication record, the committee praised their scientific leadership in organizing two impactful FRIB-TA Topical Programs and the writing of a white paper on optical potentials in the rare isotope era, as well as their service to the community as a member of the FRIB Theory Fellow Search Committee and the theory representative in the FRIB User Organization Executive Committee, and their commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in our field.
Timothy Gray
Gray’s research involves experimentally investigating the shape of the nucleus to better understand the dynamics that drive nuclei to different shapes. Nuclei are often pictured as spherical, but sometimes they can be elongated, like a football, or take on other shapes. In addition, the same nucleus can have different shapes depending on how much energy it is carrying.
Gray is excited about FRIB enhancing its capabilities and the effect it will have on his research, as well as the extra reach it will give to new areas of the nuclear chart.
“I am especially excited about the prospect of reaccelerated beams, which provide greater flexibility for the kinds of experiments that can be done on nuclei,” he said. “The extra reach and flexibility will allow us to measure properties like the shape of the nucleus over a wide range of isotopes and use that to refine our theories.”
Gray completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, majoring in physics and mathematics. He earned his doctorate at the Australian National University, where he studied electromagnetic moments in the Z=50 region. Gray moved to the United States for a postdoctoral position at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he collaborated with others on the FRIB Decay Station initiator (FDSi). Gray has since moved to a research assistant professor role at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he is continuing his experimental studies of radioactive isotopes.
Chloë Hebborn
Hebborn’s research focuses on developing accurate theoretical models to predict what happens in a nuclear collision involving exotic nuclei. These developments are crucial to interpret the experimental data that will be measured at FRIB and to obtain nuclear reaction rates of astrophysical interest.
Hebborn said that leveraging the expertise developed in the few-body group at FRIB and through collaborations with both theorists and experimentalists, will help her better understand the properties of exotic nuclei, including the ones relevant for astrophysics.
“I am excited to work at FRIB to meet and collaborate with scientists and users visiting the laboratory,” she said. “I am very much looking forward to seeing FRIB measurements on nuclei that were never measured before, and how they will challenge our understanding of nuclear properties.”
Hebborn earned bachelor’s degrees in engineering and economics from the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in Belgium. She also completed her master’s degree in physical engineering and was awarded her PhD in nuclear physics from ULB. She was a FRIB Theory Fellow at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory until August 2023, and recently moved to FRIB as an assistant professor of physics at Michigan State University.
The FRIB Achievement Award for Early Career Researchers recognizes outstanding original contributions to the field of nuclear physics through work at or relating to FRIB, performed by scientists early in their careers.
The recipients will present their work during the plenary session at the annual Low Energy Community Meeting and receive a stipend to support their participation.
Michigan State University (MSU) operates FRIB as a user facility for the Office of Nuclear Physics in the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. Hosting what is designed to be the most powerful heavy-ion accelerator, FRIB will enable scientists to make discoveries about the properties of rare isotopes in order to better understand the physics of nuclei, nuclear astrophysics, fundamental interactions, and applications for society, including in medicine, homeland security, and industry.
The U.S. Department of Energy Isotope R&D and Production Program (DOE Isotope Program) supports isotope harvesting at FRIB. MSU operates FRIB as a user facility for the Office of Nuclear Physics in the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, supporting the mission of the DOE-SC Office of Nuclear Physics.
The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of today’s most pressing challenges. For more information, visit energy.gov/science.