John T. Giblin, Jr (Tom) - PI
Biography
Although Tom was born in Worcester, MA, he will always claim Maine as his native land. He now lives in Mount Vernon and Columbus Ohio with his wife, Erika Farfan, and their dog, Cora. A recent inquiry into Tom's life revealed the non-existence of any hobbies.
Tom went to The College of the Holy Cross where he earned his AB in Physics and Mathematics in 2003. He worked with Robert Brandenburger at Brown University from 2003-2005 before finishing his graduate work with Richard Easter at Yale University in 2008. In the ensuing years Tom worked as a visiting assistant professor at Bates College and as a postdoctoral fellow at The Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Phyiscs.
Tom is currently an Associate Professor of Physics at Kenyon College and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Physics at Case Western Reserve University
Research Interests
Cosmology represents a bridge between fundamental physics and particle phenomenology. The goal of the contemporary cosmologist is to search for models of the early universe that satisfy the current observational tests and to search for new ways to discriminate between these models. Tom Giblin is interested in how gravity and quantum field theory can lead to natural models of the early universe and specifically how these models might emerge from various extensions of the standard Model. He is also very interested in how observations of both electromagnetic and gravitational radiation can identify viable cosmological scenarios.
Cosmology is at a stage in which precise calculations and predictions are necessary to discern between different models. Tom tackles those questions that can be answered by numerical analysis or computer simulation. The particular computational tools he employs vary from project to project and include lattice simulations (including spectral methods), finite-element analysis, Monte-Carlo parameter estimation, and multi-processor computing.
You can find my publications on the arXiv or Spires.
Tom also really likes cheese, cheese-related products, and the process of melting cheese on other foods to improve them.
