The Parno Group

Experimental neutrino physics at Carnegie Mellon University

Current Group Members (Fall 2024)

Dr. Seung Mok Lee Postdoc working on COHERENT, KATRIN, and Project 8
Gen Li PhD student, D2O detector for COHERENT
Hexiang Huang PhD student, MARS detector for COHERENT
Audrey Cole PhD student, KATRIN backgrounds
Cassandra Yang Undergrad working on MARS detector for COHERENT
Grace Gabrys Undergrad working on simulations for TREASUR
Joyce Zhuang Undergrad working on D2O simulations for COHERENT
Affiliate Group Member: Prof. Rebecca Rapp at Washington & Jefferson College
Affiliate Group Member: Prof. Kirsten McMichael at Washington & Jefferson College

Past PhD and Postdoc Group Members

Dr. Laura Bodine (now Minter) (August 2015 - March 2016), postdoc at UW who worked on TRIMS. Moved on to a fusion energy startup and then data science.
Dr. Byron Daniel (PhD 2025 from Carnegie Mellon University: Quantifying the Impact of Molecular Effects on Tritium β-Decay
Dr. Luke Kippenbrock (PhD 2019 from University of Washington): Investigation of Background from the Inter-Spectrometer Penning Trap and Secondary Electron Emission in the KATRIN Experiment. Luke went on to become a scientist at Aret\'e, Inc.
Dr. Ying-Ting Lin (PhD 2019 from University of Washington): The Tritium Recoil-Ion Mass Spectrometer Experiment. Ting went on to take postdoc positions at Texas A&M and then at the University of Heidelberg.
Dr. Kirsten McMichael (January - December 2024), postdoc at CMU who worked on KATRIN and COHERENT, now Visiting Faculty at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, PA.
Dr. Rebecca Rapp (PhD 2022 from Carnegie Mellon University: Characterizing neutrino and neutron fluxes from the Spallation Neutron Source for the COHERENT experiment! Becca is going on to a faculty position in Computer & Information Studies at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, PA.
Dr. Larisa Thorne (PhD 2021 from Carnegie Mellon University, co-advised by Gregg Franklin): Modeling and fitting KATRIN spectra with CMKAT. Larisa is going on to a postdoc position at University of Mainz.
Dr. Ana Paula Vizcaya Hernandez (PhD 2021 from Carnegie Mellon University), Toward a Measurement of the Neutrino Mass with Tritium: Ion Studies for the KATRIN and TRIMS Experiments! Ana Paula went on to a postdoc position at Colorado State.
Dr. Yung-Ruey Yen (October 2018 - September 2020), postdoc at CMU who worked on KATRIN and COHERENT, now a tutor in physics.

Past Undergraduate Group Members

Alejandro Arteaga (Su – F 2021). Design for COHERENT D2O detector.
Yiheng “Stom” Chen (Su 2023). Scintillator tests for COHERENT D2O detector.
Amy Germer (F 2022 – Spr 2023). Humidity tests for COHERENT D2O detector.
Claire Gist (F 2024 - Su 2025). Modeling and simulations for TREASUR.
Duy Hoang (Su 2020 – Spr 2021). Simulations for COHERENT MARS detector.
Victoria Kubyshko (Su 2019). Simulation studies for KATRIN
Margot Mahoney (Su – F 2022). Neutrino-flux simulations for COHERENT.
Jacques Moye (Su 2023 – W 2024). Simulations, analysis for COHERENT MARS detector.
Zachary Muraskin (Su – F 2023). Design for COHERENT D2O detector.
Osman Nori (F 2025). Simulations for COHERENT D2O detector.
Anh Ramirez (Su 2024) Design for the TREASUR experiment for KATRIN
Aria Salyapongse (Su 2020 – Spr 2022). Neutrino-flux simulations for COHERENT.
Daniell Shi (Spr-Su 2024). D2O detector for COHERENT
Cole Skuse (Su 2022 – Spr 2023). Humidity tests for COHERENT D2O detector.
Sam Tello (Su 2024 - Spr 2025). Undergrad working on neutrino-flux simulations for COHERENT
Samuel Vasquez (Su – F 2021). Neutrino-flux simulations for COHERENT.
Yuktha Vemula (Su 2024 - Spr 2025). Undergrad working on the rear-wall systematic for KATRIN
Aishwarya Vijai (Su 2021 – Spr 2022). Plasma analysis for KATRIN.

Past Visiting Group Members

Julian Blaschtschak (June - December 2020, part time), visiting master's student from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology who worked on plasma studies for KATRIN
Shuaixiang Zhang (Summer 2019), visiting undergrad from USTC who worked on neutrino-flux simulations for COHERENT
Florian Heizmann (June - September 2017), visiting PhD student from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology who worked on data blinding and relic neutrinos for KATRIN.
Woo-Jeong Baek (July - August 2017), visiting master's student from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology who worked on simulations for KATRIN and TRIMS.
Christine Claessens (June 2016), visiting graduate student from University of Mainz who worked on TRIMS at UW.

Past Group Photos

Parno Group in October 2017