Boleslaw “Bolek” Wyslouch will step down from his role as director of the Laboratory for Nuclear Science (LNS) after over a decade, opting to focus on nuclear physics research as the director of the Bates Research and Engineering Center, a division within LNS. “LNS scientists, including Bolek himself, are world leaders in particle and nuclear physics,” stated Nergis Mavalvala, dean of the MIT School of Science. Mavalvala praised Wyslouch for fostering the growth and success of LNS during his tenure, supporting large-scale, international research collaborations.<\/p>\n
Founded in 1946, LNS is the largest university-based program dedicated to nuclear and high-energy physics in the U.S. Wyslouch has served as its director since 2015. Under his leadership, the research capacity of LNS expanded significantly, embracing new faculty and broadening its scope in nuclear and particle physics. His strategic vision introduced low-energy nuclear physics as a new research area, previously unexplored by the laboratory.<\/p>\n
Rick Peterson, executive director of LNS, acknowledged Wyslouch’s role in attracting dynamic faculty research groups, which contributed to the laboratory’s growth. These efforts facilitated partnerships with national laboratories, enhancing LNS’s presence across U.S. nuclear physics facilities. Recently, LNS has been working to secure funding through bids for the Department of Energy\u2019s Genesis mission, a promising opportunity in the AI era.<\/p>\n
During Wyslouch’s time as director, LNS led a successful bid for the AI Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions, supported by the National Science Foundation. This institute involves over 25 senior researchers from MIT, Harvard, Northeastern, and Tufts. Additionally, the Center for Theoretical Physics, part of LNS, received a $20 million donation from the Leinweber Foundation to establish a new institute within CTP.<\/p>\n
Peterson highlighted Wyslouch’s efforts in fostering a culture that values individual contributions at LNS, regardless of rank. Wyslouch also developed new support pathways for postdocs and promoted community-building activities. At Bates, he has overseen numerous complex projects, including advanced particle detectors for CERN and Brookhaven National Laboratory, as well as collaborations on innovative technologies like next-generation batteries and medical applications of nuclear science.<\/p>\n
In his research, Wyslouch is a key figure in the relativistic heavy ion program of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. He investigates subatomic particle interactions through high-energy ion collisions. His CMS group discovered notable collective effects in various collision types and observed hot plasma’s impact on jet energy distribution.<\/p>\n
Before his involvement in CMS, Wyslouch conducted pioneering experiments at CERN and Brookhaven’s Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, where he helped develop the PHOBOS project to study quark-gluon plasma. Wyslouch, who earned his physics degree in 1981 from the University of Warsaw, joined MIT as a doctoral student and completed his PhD in 1987. He became an MIT faculty member in 1991 and has led the Nuclear and Particle Physics Division since 2013.<\/p>\n
Wyslouch has been honored with the William W. Buechner Teaching Prize in 2004 and was elected as a fellow of the American Physical Society in 2013. He is set to be inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2024.<\/p>\n