Katherine Mack

Katherine Mack profile picture
Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Areas of research:
If you are interested in pursuing a MSc degree, please apply to the Perimeter Scholars International (PSI) masters program. Perimeter Institute is committed to diversity within its community and welcomes applications from underrepresented groups.
My primary research interests are in theoretical cosmology, astroparticle physics, and galaxy formation. I'm particularly interested in the physics and astrophysics of dark matter, and how we might find clues about dark matter's fundamental nature by examining its impact on the formation and evolution of the earliest cosmic structures. I'm also interested in early universe cosmology and how exotic physics in the early universe may have left imprints on cosmological observables today.
  • Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication (Outreach Faculty), Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, 2022-present
  • Assistant Professor of Physics, Physics Department, North Carolina State University, 2018-2023
  • ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher, CAASTRO-CoEPP Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Physics, University of Melbourne, 2012-2017
  • STFC Postdoctoral Fellow, Kavli Institute for Cosmology, Cambridge University, 2009-2012
  • 2024 Richtmyer Memorial Lecture Award, American Association of Physics Teachers, 2023
  • Fellowship, TED (non-profit), 2021
  • Women in Physics Lectureship, Australian Institute of Physics, 2017
  • Faculty of Science Dean’s Award for Excellence in Engagement, University of Melbourne, 2016
  • University of Melbourne Excellence in Engagement – Public Value, University of Melbourne, 2016
  • Dyason Fellowship, University of Melbourne, 2016
  • Lin, W., Chen, X., Ganjoo, H., Hou, L., & Mack, K. J. (2023). Cosmology of Single Species Hidden Dark Matter. arxiv:2305.08943v1
  • Ganjoo, H., Erickcek, A. L., Lin, W., & Mack, K. J. (2023). The effects of relativistic hidden sector particles on the matter power spectrum. Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, 2023(01), 004. doi:10.1088/1475-7516/2023/01/004
  • Friedlander, A., Mack, K. J., Schon, S., Song, N., & Vincent, A. C. (2022). Primordial black hole dark matter in the context of extra dimensions. Physical Review D, 105(10), 103508. doi:10.1103/physrevd.105.103508
  • Ando, S., Baum, S., Boylan-Kolchin, M., Bulbul, E., Burgess, M., Cholis, I., . . . Walker, D. (2022). Snowmass2021 Cosmic Frontier: Synergies between dark matter searches and multiwavelength/multimessenger astrophysics. arxiv:2203.06781v1
  • O'Hare, C. A. J., Loomba, D., Altenmüller, K., Álvarez-Pol, H., Amaro, F. D., Araújo, H. M., . . . Zettlemoyer, J. (2022). Recoil imaging for directional detection of dark matter, neutrinos, and physics beyond the Standard Model. arxiv:2203.05914v3
  • Mack, K. (2022). The History and Future of the Universe. doi:10.52750/172163
  • Thomas, M., Trenti, M., Greiner, J., Skrutskie, M., Forbes, D. A., Klose, S., . . . Tanvir, N. (2022). SkyHopper mission science case I: Identification of high redshift Gamma-Ray Bursts through space-based near-infrared afterglow observations. Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 39, e032. doi:10.1017/pasa.2022.22
  • Lin, W., Chen, X., & Mack, K. J. (2021). Early Universe Physics Insensitive and Uncalibrated Cosmic Standards: Constraints on Om and Implications for the Hubble Tension. The Astrophysical Journal, 920(2), 159. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ac12cf
  • Opening Remarks, Dark Matter, First Light, 2024/02/26, PIRSA:24020035
  • Dark Matter: A Cosmological Perspective, CAP Congress, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, 2023/07/19
  • Science Communication, Bank of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 2023/07/13
  • Dark Matter at the Heart of Physics, Central Florida Astronomical Society, Florida, United States, 2023/07/12
  • Panel Discussion: Open Questions in Early Universe, Quantum Simulators of Fundamental Physics, 2023/06/06, PIRSA:23060011
  • Physics at the End of the Universe, NASA Neurodiversity Network meeting, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington D.C., United States, 2023/05/18
  • Dark Matter, First Light, CIFAR Gravity and the Extreme Universe Annual General Meeting, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Canada, 2023/05/11
  • Physics at the End of the Universe, Ontario Physics Teachers' Association conference, 2023/05/05
  • From the Lab to the Universe: Studying Physics to Explore the Cosmos, International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Museum of Arts and Sciences, Daytona Beach, Florida, United States, 2023/02/11
  • Dark Matter, First Light, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 2023/02/10
  • Physics at the End of the Universe, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, United States, 2023/01/23
  • Cosmology, Dark Matter, and New Physics, Conference on Undergraduate Women in Physics, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, United States, 2023/01/21
  • Dark Matter: The Cosmic Mystery at the Heart of Physics, Astronomical Society of St Andrews, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom, 2022/11/10
  • Dark Matter and New Physics at Cosmic Dawn, Canadian Undergraduate Physics Conference, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, 2022/10/29
  • An Enlightening Evening of Dark Matter, Perimeter Public Lectures, 2022/10/26, PIRSA:22100150
  • Dark Matter, First Light, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Menlo Park, California, United States, 2022/09/29
  • How the Universe Ends, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States, 2022/09/27
  • Dark Matter and New Physics at Cosmic Dawn, CIFAR Board Meeting, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Canada, 2022/09/13
  • The Communication Space, ComSciConCAN, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2022/08/12
  • Dark Matter, First Light, Astronomy Colloquium, University of Bern, 2022/01/01