The University of Chicago welcomed representatives from two leading European institutions on Nov. 19 to mark the expansion of science collaboration into the field of particle physics and cosmology.
This new International Research Laboratory (IRL) will be a three-way partnership between UChicago, the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Université Paris Cité. The agreement was signed by UChicago President Paul Alivisatos, CNRS Chairman and CEO Antoine Petit, and Antoine Kouchner, vice president of International Relations at UPCité.
In welcoming remarks, Alivisatos said the UChicago-CNRS partnership “has already laid significant roots across the whole University—from the humanities and social sciences to what we will be celebrating today, particle physics and cosmology. Those roots will deepen and grow and will continue to blossom in ways we haven’t even fully captured yet.”
UChicago and CNRS, the largest scientific research organization in Europe, have since 2022 been united through the International Research Center for Fundamental Discovery program, known as IRC Discovery. The signing took place during the annual leadership meeting of that program, which brings together two of the world’s leading research institutions.
Petit hailed the “fruitful, long-lasting cooperation” between CNRS and UChicago, and welcomed the new inclusion of UPCité in joining the new IRL in particle physics and cosmology, as well as the existing IRL in humanities research.
Kouchner from UPCité added: “Today’s signature represents a milestone celebrating collaboration already deeply rooted in our scientific communities.”
Noting that UPCité is located near UChicago’s John W. Boyer Center in Paris, Kouchner outlined many opportunities for future collaboration with the center.
UChicago physics Prof. Bonnie Fleming, who is also the chief research officer at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, is the new IRL’s deputy director. Visiting scholar Cédric Cerna will serve as director of the IRL. He said its scope of scientific collaboration was vast, “from the infinitely small to the infinitely large.”
It includes research ranging from the quantum scale to the structure of the universe.
A highlight of this new three-way partnership in particle physics and cosmology is joint work on the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). It strengthens collaboration between UChicago, CNRS and Fermilab on key projects, including the new PIP-II accelerator being built at Fermilab to power the high-intensity neutrino beam for DUNE. This will be essential for advancing neutrino research that unlocks deep mysteries of the universe like where we come from and how matter and energy work.
Beyond DUNE, the partnership will support further research in advanced accelerator technologies and projects like the future muon collider, helping drive innovation on both sides of the Atlantic.
By leveraging both institutions’ robust international networks, large-scale investments in research, and commitments to academic excellence, IRC Discovery is able to support research collaborations that address the world’s greatest and most pressing questions.
IRC Discovery’s programming consists of joint research and Ph.D. funding mechanisms, student and scholar mobility (including access to research facilities, tech transfer resources and more), academic workshops and public events. It also includes network-building activities, the support and facilitation of CNRS international cooperation structures and large-scale external grant support for joint research projects.
At an Oct. 29 event in Paris focused on international science research, Nadya Mason, dean of the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and interim vice president for Science, Innovation, and Partnerships, highlighted IRC Discovery.
She discussed the link between basic science and innovation, using UChicago’s quantum expertise as an example. Mason spoke alongside other key individuals in global science, including The University of Tokyo President Teruo Fujii and European Research Council President Maria Leptin. Mason was joined by UChicago Prof. Vincenzo Vitelli, faculty director of IRC Discovery.
