User:Ajzec

AJ Zec
AJ's personal stylized logo
PREX/CREX Collaboration Role
Primary responsibilities	Compton DAQ maintenance Compton photon detector maintenance Compton analysis expert
Other responsibilities	Expert shift worker Compton laser operator
Collaborator since	April 2016
Graduate Information
Institution	University of Virginia
Years	2015-present
Research Advisor	Kent Paschke
Undergraduate Information
Institution	University of Massachusetts Amherst
Years	2011-2015
Research Advisor(s)	Andrea Pocar Laura Cadonati
Degrees conferred	B.S. Physics B.A. Computer Science
Other Education
Institution	Medford High School
Years	2007-2011
Degree conferred	High school diploma

AJ Zec is a graduate researcher and PhD candidate in nuclear physics currently affiliated with the University of Virginia. Their advisor is Professor Kent Paschke. Their current research interests include experimental nuclear physics, accelerator physics, STEM education and science outreach.

AJ became interested in physics in high school when they were invited by their teacher to create an independent experiment detecting cosmic muons. In 2011 they enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Amherst quickly deciding to major in physics. They first became involved in research in 2012, joining professor Andrea Pocar's group participating on in the Darkside collaboration, with its experiment at the LNGS laboratory in Italy. They graudated UMass in May 2015 with a bachelor of science in physics, and a bachelor of arts in computer science.

AJ enrolled as a graduate student in physics at the University of Virginia in the Fall of 2015. After their first year they joined up with professor Paschke's group, participating on the PREX-II and CREX experiments, measuring neutron skins employing the parity violating electron scattering technique. They are currently involved in maintaining the compton polarimeter DAQ, data and analysis necessary to control key systematics for these two experiments.