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Jocelyn Monroe

Jocelyn Monroe is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Jocelyn Monroe rather than just read about it. In short: Jocelyn Monroe is an American British experimental particle physicist who is a professor at the University of Oxford. Her research considers the development of novel detectors as part of the search for dark matter.

Jocelyn Monroe — main illustration
Jocelyn Monroe — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Jocelyn Monroe belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Jocelyn Monroe to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Jocelyn Monroe from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Jocelyn Monroe is an American British experimental particle physicist who is a professor at the University of Oxford. Her research considers the development of novel detectors as part of the search for dark matter. In 2016 she was honoured with the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for her work on the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory.

Early life and education Monroe is from Chicago. She studied physics at Columbia University, where she completed a bachelor's degree in astrophysics in 1999. After graduating she joined the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) as an engineering physicist in the neutrino factory. In the neutrino factory, Monroe worked on muon beam cooling. After one year at Fermilab, Monroe returned to Columbia University, where she joined the Booster Neutrino Experiment (MiniBooNE) neutrino experiment and completed a doctorate under the supervision of Michael Shaevitz. She was part of the team who confirmed that there were three types of neutrinos, and that the Standard Model was still in effect.

Research and career After earning her doctorate Monroe was made Pappalardo Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and was promoted to Assistant Professor soon after. At MIT, Monroe joined the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory where she looked for exotic particles in solar neutrino oscillations. After completing her postdoctoral research, Monroe joined the MiniCLEAN and Dark Matter Time Projection Chamber (DMTPC) experiments to detect dark matter particle interactions. Whilst at MIT she taught physics to Dianna Cowern. In 2011 Monroe moved to the United Kingdom, where she joined Royal Holloway, University of London. Here she founded the Dark Matter research group, in which she specialises in the direct detection of dark matter. Direct detection means that experiments record dark matter particles scattering off atomic nuclei. She has worked with the DEAP-3600 (Dark matter Experiment using Argon Pulse-shape discrimination) at SNOLAB and is now the deputy Spokesperson (scientific leader) of the DarkSide-20k experiment in the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso. DarkSide-20k is proposed to be the world's largest dark matter detector, and will use silicon-based detectors to look for the light emitted by dark matter interactions with argon. Monroe leads the dark matter search on QUEST-DMC, a novel experiment using superfluid Helium-3 to search for dark matter which was featured in the 2024 Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition. As part of her work on dark matter detectors, Monroe works on new strategies to detect the dark matter wind. As planet Earth moves through dark matter in the galaxy it should create a wind of dark matter particles that can be easily differentiated from the terrestrial background. She has developed tetrafluoromethane-based detectors(DMTPC) with silicon readout for the first demonstration of particle tracking in the low-energy regime relevant for dark matter and geo-neutrino searches. Ultimately Monroe looks to develop a kilotonne observatory for dark matter and neutrino physics. Such an observatory could observe the geoneutrinos created by potassium decay in the Earth's core. In 2013 Monroe became the first woman appointed Professor of Physics at Royal Holloway, University of London. In 2023 Monroe was appointed Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford.

Awards and honours 2006 MIT Pappalardo Fellowship 2009 Kavli Frontiers of Science Fellow 2016 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics

Select publications MiniBooNE Collaboration; Aguilar-Arevalo, A. A.; Anderson, C. E.; Bazarko, A. O.; Brice, S. J.; Brown, B. C.; Bugel, L.; Cao, J.; Coney, L.; Conrad, J. M.; Cox, D. C. (2009-03-11). "Unexplained Excess of Electronlike Events from a 1-GeV Neutrino Beam". Physical Review Letters. 102 (10) 101802. arXiv:0812.2243. Bibcode:2009PhRvL.102j1802A. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.101802. hdl:1721.1/54759. PMID 19392103. S2CID 3067551. SNO Collaboration; Aharmim, B; Ahmed, SN; Anthony, AE; Barros, N; Beier, EW; Bellerive, A; Beltran, B; Bergevin, M; Biller, SD; Boudjemline, K (2013-08-01). "Combined analysis of all three phases of solar neutrino data from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory". Physical Review C. 88 (2) 025501. arXiv:1109.0763. Bibcode:2013PhRvC..88b5501A. doi:10.1103/PhysRevC.88.025501. hdl:1721.1/81363. S2CID 90126. SNO Collaboration; Aharmim, B.; Ahmed, S. N.; Anthony, A. E.; Barros, N.; Beier, E. W.; Bellerive, A.; Beltran, B.; Bergevin, M.; Biller, S. D.; Boudjemline, K. (2010-05-27). "Low-energy-threshold analysis of the Phase I and Phase II data sets of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory". Physical Review C. 81 (5) 055504. arXiv:0910.2984. Bibcode:2010PhRvC..81e5504A. doi:10.1103/PhysRevC.81.055504. hdl:1721.1/57490. S2CID 118682047.

Personal life Monroe is married to Morgan Wascko, Professor of Physics at University of Oxford. Together they have two daughters.

See also Daphne Jackson, from Peterborough, the UK's first female professor of physics (University of Surrey at age 34) Gillian Gehring (née Murray), from Nottingham, the UK's second female professor of physics

References

Illustrations

Jocelyn Monroe illustration

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Jocelyn Monroe

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Jocelyn Monroe claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Jocelyn Monroe before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Jocelyn Monroe ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Jocelyn Monroe

In research
Jocelyn Monroe appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Jocelyn Monroe in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Jocelyn Monroe is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 21st-century American women, Academics of Royal Holloway, University of London, American particle physicists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Jocelyn Monroe outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Jocelyn Monroe in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Jocelyn Monroe means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Jocelyn Monroe out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Jocelyn Monroe in simple terms?

Jocelyn Monroe is an American British experimental particle physicist who is a professor at the University of Oxford. Her research considers the development of novel detectors as part of the search for dark matter.

Why does Jocelyn Monroe matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Jocelyn Monroe?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Jocelyn Monroe.

Tags

  • 21st-century American women
  • Academics of Royal Holloway, University of London
  • American particle physicists
  • American women academics
  • American women physicists
  • Columbia University alumni
  • Columbia University faculty
  • Experimental particle physics
  • Living people
  • MIT School of Science faculty
  • Scientists from Chicago

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