Kevin T. Pitts (born 1965) is an American high energy

particle physicist Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of Elementary particle, fundamental particles and fundamental interaction, forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standa ...

. In addition to his faculty appointment at the :University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, in 2021 he was appointed chief research officer at Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory. His research interests have included the

CDF experiment The Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) experimental collaboration studies high energy particle collisions from the Tevatron, the world's former highest-energy particle accelerator. The goal is to discover the identity and properties of the partic ...

and the Muon g-2 experiment at Fermilab.

Early life and education

Kevin Todd Pitts, born in Indiana in 1965, is the son of William and Beverley Pitts. He earned a B.A. in physics and mathematics at Anderson University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in physics from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

. He completed his dissertation in 1994.

Career

Pitts began his research in high-energy physics at Fermilab in 1994. At the Fermilab Tevatron he investigated heavy-flavor physics and participated in the

Higgs boson The Higgs boson, sometimes called the Higgs particle, is an elementary particle in the Standard Model of particle physics produced by the quantum excitation of the Higgs field, one of the fields in particle physics theory. In the Stand ...

searches. Pitts is a member of the Muon g-2 experiment at Fermilab. He joined the faculty at the University of Illinois in 1999, becoming Associate Head for Undergraduate Programs in 2010. In 2014 he became Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs in the College of Engineering. Pitts is Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. As Vice Provost, he has been the architect of the "Illinois Commitment" program to offer free tuition and fees to "talented low- to moderate-income students and those who are the first generation to go to college". He was also the principal investigator on a grant to increase access to science and engineering for low income students, an effort supported by

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

. Pitts served in the chair line for the National Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP). He also founded "ICANEXSEL", a University of Illinois College of Engineering program to engage inner-city Chicago middle and high school students in STEM. In addition, Pitts serves on the Board of Directors for the nonprofit Chicago Pre-college Science and Engineering Program. In March 2021, Pitts became chief research officer at Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory. His responsibilities there include oversight of the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. He participated in the top quark discovery in 1995, and served on the Long Baseline Neutrino Committee. Pitts also serves on the

Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel The Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel (P5) is a scientific advisory panel tasked with recommending plans for U.S. investment in particle physics research over the next ten years, on the basis of various funding scenarios. The P5 is a t ...

Selected publications

* * * * * *

Selected awards, honors

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

Fellow, elected 2016. * American Physical Society Fellow, 2014, "For his leading role in heavy-flavor physics at the

Tevatron collider The Tevatron was a circular particle accelerator (active until 2011) in the United States, at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (also known as ''Fermilab''), east of Batavia, Illinois, and is the second highest energy particle collider ...

, including the first evidence of

CP violation In particle physics, CP violation is a violation of CP-symmetry (or charge conjugation parity symmetry): the combination of C-symmetry (charge symmetry) and P-symmetry ( parity symmetry). CP-symmetry states that the laws of physics should be the ...

in bottom mesons, and for significant contributions to triggering at the Collider." * Arnold O. Nordsieck Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2014, "For his creation and inspirational teaching of innovative courses that introduce undergraduates to the philosophy, fidelity, and elegance of science." *

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

, University Scholar, 2013. "The University Scholars Program recognizes outstanding members of the faculty and provides each with a funding allocation to enhance their scholarly activities." * National Science Foundation CAREER Award, 2004. *

United States Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and manages the research and development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the United Stat ...

Outstanding Junior Investigator Award, 2002. "A Stereo Tracking System for the CDF Detector."

References

External links

* * (1:08 hours) * (video, 2:31 minutes) * (video 46:31 minutes)
A Tiny Particle’s Wobble Could Upend the Known Laws of Physics
By Dennis Overbye, ''The'' ''New York Times''.
Muons: 'Strong' evidence found for a new force of nature
By Pallab Ghosh, ''

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Pitts, Kevin T. 1965 births 21st-century American physicists Educators from Indiana Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows of the American Physical Society Living people University of Oregon alumni University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty