Diana Parno Promotion Letter

Dear Colleagues,

Diana is an excellent fit for the department. She has already achieved much as a junior faculty member and is poised to accomplish much more. She has established herself as a leader in the fields of determining the neutrino mass scale and studying their interactions, and she is playing a critical role in shaping the future of these areas. Diana is well-funded, supported by both the Particle and Nuclear Physics divisions of the Department of Energy, and she was awarded a Department of Energy Early Career Award.

A central focus of Diana's research program is determining the neutrino mass scale. This is particularly compelling not only because the neutrino masses are unknown, fundamental input parameters of the theory, but they are also a direct indication of physics beyond the Standard Model. The values of these masses have major implications for particle physics, cosmology, and high-energy theory. This is obviously high-value physics that we want to be a part of at CMU.

Measuring the neutrino mass scale is hard. Diana has played a decisive role in many critical aspects of the KATRIN experiment – the state-of-the-art in direct measurements of the neutrino mass scale. She has played key roles from determining the program of measurements with the KATRIN beamline, to addressing challenging systematic uncertainties, to leading the final data analysis. This work requires creativity and has positioned her as a future leader in the field.

While I am less interested in the "bread and butter" physics of COHERENT, it is an excellent playground for detector development and a valuable training ground for students. The technology required for these challenging measurements also provides a natural bridge to other emerging areas of particle physics, such as neutrinoless double beta decay and direct dark matter searches—areas I believe our department should naturally grow into. Diana's work with COHERENT will lay the groundwork for this program, and she would be instrumental in attracting the right talent.

I am also excited about her long-term plans. Project 8 is an ambitious initiative to push the sensitivity of neutrino mass measurements an order of magnitude beyond Katrin. At this level of sensitivity, the neutrino mass scale would be a crucial input for interpreting the results of the neutrinoless double beta decay experiments. The goal of these experiments is to determine if neutrinos are "Majorana" particles—meaning they are their own antiparticles—a possibility still allowed by current data. Understanding this nature of neutrinos is not a minor detail; it is directly related to the number of degrees of freedom in the theory and could point to a new fundamental mass scale in nature, the first since the discovery of the weak scale.

In conclusion, Diana's research achievements, leadership in cutting-edge experiments, and ambitious long-term plans make her a valuable asset to our department. Her work not only addresses some of the most fundamental questions in particle physics but can help position our department at the forefront of future discoveries. With her expertise and vision, Diana will help attract top talent and foster collaborations that will enhance the department and significantly impact her field. I strongly support her case for promotion.

Sincerely,

John Alison, Associate Professor Physics

Notes comments

Who is the audiance ? MP: audience is physics non-particle faculty

We are particularly interested in your opinion of Dr. Parno’s accomplishments, creativity, and potential for future development as a leader in research. Please also comment on her teaching ability and other factors known to you that are relevant to the case.

Leadership role in snowmass (Topical Convener)

KATRIN

COHERENT

Early Career Award

Follow-ups

Links:

202408152225

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