Daniel M. Scolnic

Associate Professor of Physics

Use observational tools to measure the expansion history of the universe.  Trying to answer big questions like 'what is dark energy?'.

Appointments and Affiliations

  • Associate Professor of Physics

Contact Information

Education

  • B.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007
  • Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University, 2013

Research Interests

Cosmology, Supernova.

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

  • Defense Science Study Group (DSSG). Institute for Defense Analysis. 2023
  • Clarivate Most Highly Cited Scientists. Clarivate. 2023
  • Fred Kavli Plenary Lectureship. American Astronomical Society. 2023
  • Sloan Research Fellowship-Physics. Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 2022
  • Department of Energy Early Career Award. Department of Energy. 2021
  • Packard Fellowship. The David and Lucille Packard Foundation. 2019

Courses Taught

  • PHYSICS 791: Special Readings
  • PHYSICS 556: Stellar Astrophysics
  • PHYSICS 495: Thesis Independent Study
  • PHYSICS 493: Research Independent Study
  • PHYSICS 142L9D: General Physics II (Discussion)
  • PHYSICS 134: Introduction to Astronomy

In the News

Representative Publications

  • Camilleri, R., T. M. Davis, M. Vincenzi, P. Shah, J. Frieman, R. Kessler, P. Armstrong, et al. “The dark energy survey supernova program: investigating beyond-ΛCDM.” Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 533, no. 3 (September 1, 2024): 2615–39. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stae1988.
  • Pan, Y. C., Y. S. Jheng, D. O. Jones, I. Y. Lee, R. J. Foley, R. Chornock, D. M. Scolnic, et al. “Measuring the ejecta velocities of type Ia supernovae from the pan-STARRS1 medium deep survey.” Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 532, no. 2 (August 1, 2024): 1887–1900. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stae1618.
  • Shah, P., T. M. Davis, D. Bacon, D. Brout, J. Frieman, L. Galbany, R. Kessler, et al. “The dark energy survey: detection of weak lensing magnification of supernovae and constraints on dark matter haloes.” Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 532, no. 1 (July 1, 2024): 932–44. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stae1515.
  • Anand, G. S., A. G. Riess, W. Yuan, R. Beaton, S. Casertano, S. Li, D. I. Makarov, et al. “Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distances with JWST: An Absolute Calibration in NGC 4258 and First Applications to Type Ia Supernova Hosts.” Astrophysical Journal 966, no. 1 (May 1, 2024). https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad2e0a.
  • Li, S., A. G. Riess, S. Casertano, G. S. Anand, D. M. Scolnic, W. Yuan, L. Breuval, and C. D. Huang. “Reconnaissance with JWST of the J-region Asymptotic Giant Branch in Distance Ladder Galaxies: From Irregular Luminosity Functions to Approximation of the Hubble Constant.” Astrophysical Journal 966, no. 1 (May 1, 2024). https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad2f2b.