Dr. Pietro Giampa
Research Scientist
Pietro completed his PhD in Particle Astrophysics at Queen’s University working on construction and early data analysis the DEAP-3600 experiment. Following his PhD Pietro was awarded the Otto Hausser Fellowship at TRIUMF. During his fellowship, he continued working on DEAP-3600 and spent some time studying the matter/anti-matter asymmetry puzzle with ultra-cold neutrons as part of the TUCAN collaboration.
In his role now Pietro continues to focus on dark matter studies as a member of the Scintillating Bubble Chamber (SBC) collaboration, a liquid noble bubble chamber to be used for a low-mass WIMP dark matter search. He is the main point of contact for the experiment at SNOLAB and is responsible for the delivery of the photo-readout system for the experiment which is integral for background rejection within the data. In addition to research activities Pietro also spends a portion of his time supervising physics students.
How would you describe your work in simple terms?
“My research primarily focuses on studies beyond the standard model of particle physics. What that essentially means is that I’m really interested in further understanding our universe.”
What is something in your career you are especially proud of?
“Seeing my name in a scientific publication for the first time was a very cool moment. During my PhD I was also responsible for operating the Reserfacer, an 18-ft tall robot designed to remove the inner most layer of acrylic from the DEAP-3600 inner vessel.”
Why did you choose physics?
“I guess I never really got over my ‘why?’ phase.”