Seth Koren

Seth Koren

Oehme Postdoctoral Fellow

Enrico Fermi Institute of the University of Chicago

I’m a theoretical physicist focused on understanding what exists Beyond the Standard Models of particle physics and cosmology by working at the junction of high energy theory and the real world. I have broad interests across many aspects of particle physics, field theory, cosmology, and gravity, and I enjoy collaborating, mentoring, and other forms of talking about physics.

I’m quite proud of my dissertation, which begins with an extensive introduction aiming to pedagogically explain renormalization and the hierarchy problem. I place considerable focus on clearing conceptual pitfalls and on debunking common misconsceptions, and I’ve been flattered to hear that it is a useful resource for the community.

My thesis also received the APS 2022 Sakurai Dissertation Award in Theoretical Particle Physics, though that was more about the sections on my own research.

Recently I was honored to be invited to give the Enrico Fermi Institute’s 91st Compton Lectures, a series of lectures each Saturday for the general public over eight weeks in Spring 2023. I delivered a wide-ranging series of lectures with the title “Particles, the Cosmos, and You: An Origin Story from the Edges of Space and Time” aimed at presenting our well-understood, empirical answers to age-old questions like “What are we made of?” and “Where did we come from?” through the lens of fundamental particle physics and cosmology.