Simon Birrer, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Stony Brook University’s College of Arts and Sciences, has received a U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) Early Career Research Program Award totaling $875,000. The award supports early career scientists at universities, national laboratories, and office of science user facilities.
Birrer’s research project, titled “Probing Dark Energy with Strong Gravitational Lensing in the Era of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory,” aims to study the expansion history of the universe using data from the newly commissioned National Science Foundation (NSF) DoE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. The five-year grant will fund this work.
His research focuses on strong gravitational lensing—a phenomenon where gravity bends light so that multiple images of a single source appear. The Rubin Observatory is expected to identify tens of thousands of these lensing systems, significantly increasing the number currently known. This funding will help Birrer’s group advance their leadership in investigating dark energy and dark matter.
Eligibility for this DoE program requires researchers to be untenured or tenure-track assistant or associate professors at U.S. academic institutions, or full-time employees at DOE national labs or user facilities within 10 years of earning their doctorate. Awards to higher education institutions are approximately $875,000 over five years.
Chang Kee Jung, distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Stony Brook University, commented: “At this time of continuing uncertainties and cuts in federal funding, it is exceptionally heart-warming to hear Simon is receiving a DoE Early Career Award, which is a defining moment of any junior faculty’s career as it represents highly selective recognition of not only the recipient’s accomplishments but also future potential. Simon’s research is in the exciting and growing field of astronomy that has the great potential for major discoveries with the newly constructed state-of-art observatory. He is dedicated to undergraduate education and early research involvements. The Department of Physics and Astronomy is lucky to have Simon as well as our other fantastic junior faculty members.”
Birrer expressed his appreciation for the support: “I am grateful for the support by the Department of Energy and am excited to be able to support my group to work with the newly commissioned NSF-DoE Vera C. Rubin Observatory,” he said. “I hope that our efforts at Stony Brook contribute to gaining insights into our understanding of the Universe.”
Birrer joined Stony Brook University in January 2023 after serving as a Kavli Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University and a Postdoctoral Scholar at UCLA. He earned his PhD, master’s degree, and bachelor’s degree in physics from ETH Zurich.
The Stony Brook University Department of Physics and Astronomy was recently ranked #39 globally and #21 nationally by U.S. News & World Report.
