Heidi Schellman elected to National Academy of Sciences

Experimental particle physicist Heidi Schellman has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences — one of the highest honors awarded to scientists in the United States and around the world.

A professor of physics in Oregon State’s College of Science, Schellman is widely recognized for her scientific leadership and her mentorship of young scientists. She is joined this year by Peter Clark, university distinguished professor in the College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences.

Schellman’s trailblazing research focuses on the elusive neutrino — one of the universe’s most abundant yet challenging-to-detect particles. She plays a pivotal role in the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), an international collaboration using technology as advanced as anything on Earth to investigate why the universe is made of matter instead of antimatter.

Her expertise in handling massive datasets is key to analyzing the mountains of data generated by DUNE’s detectors. The project could unlock new insights about the fundamental structure and origins of the universe, like why the Big Bang produced a universe filled with galaxies, stars and life rather than collapsing in a flash of equal parts matter and its opposite.

“Heidi’s pioneering work on some of the most complex questions in physics, along with her dedication to mentoring the next generation of scientists, has earned well-deserved recognition from the NAS,” said Dean Eleanor Feingold. “She embodies the spirit of discovery and mentorship we champion in the College of Science, and we are proud to celebrate her achievement.”

Crews excavating a massive underground cavern that will house one of the DUNE Project’s detectors, nearly 200 feet underground.

Construction crews excavate one of the massive detector caverns—each longer than a football field and nearly 200 feet underground—that will house the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). Oregon State physicist Heidi Schellman plays a key role in managing and analyzing the experiment’s vast data.

Schellman’s contributions have been recognized throughout her career. She was named a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2000 and received the APS Division of Particles and Fields’ inaugural Mentoring Award in 2015. Early in her career, she earned a Department of Energy Outstanding Junior Investigator Award and held a Sloan Research Fellowship. She has also chaired the APS Division of Particles and Fields Executive Committee, among many other honors. She has been recognized by Research.com as one of the world’s top 1,000 female scientists.

In 2021, Schellman was the recipient of the College of Science’s F.A. Gilfillan Memorial Award for Distinguished Scholarship, which honors faculty with long and exceptional scientific careers and internationally recognized achievements. As part of the award, she delivered the prestigious Gilfillan Lecture.

Schellman earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Berkeley. She held faculty positions at Northwestern University, where she served as associate dean for research in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. She later joined OSU’s College of Science as a professor of physics and served as head of the Department of Physics from 2015 to 2021.

She is one of only eight scientists from Oregon State elected to the National Academy of Sciences, four of whom come from the College of Science — including current member Jane Lubchenco (1996), as well as Harold Evans (1972), Kensal E. van Holde (1989) — underscoring the College’s exceptional legacy of scientific excellence.

The DUNE Project, where Schellman plays a vital role, is expected to begin collecting data in 2029. The scale is immense: 30 petabytes of data per year, gathered with underground detectors "the size of Weniger Hall, but with sugar cube accuracy.”

Schellman’s leadership in managing and analyzing these vast data streams will drive discoveries that may answer one of physics’ most profound questions: why the universe exists as it does.

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