University of Michigan physicists are among the distinguished recipients of the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, an international recognition for pioneering contributions at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). Known as the “Oscars of the sciences,” the Breakthrough Prizes celebrate fundamental discoveries by global collaborations.

U-M researchers have played a vital role in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), specifically within the ATLAS and LHCb experiments which together have advanced our understanding of particle physics. ATLAS, the largest general-purpose experiment at the LHC, and LHCb, dedicated to exploring the properties of quarks, have enabled landmark discoveries including the famed Higgs boson while probing cosmic mysteries such as the imbalance between matter and antimatter.

Led by Professors Bing Zhou, Jianming Qian, Junjie Zhu, Thomas Schwarz and Christian Herwigand, the U-M ATLAS team consists of over 30 members and has contributed substantially to the design, operation and upgrade of the ATLAS muon spectrometer, a key component for precision measurements. The team also manages the ATLAS Great Lakes Tier 2 high-performance computing center. In LHCb, Professor Christine Aidala’s research focuses on deepening understanding of how quarks form bound states and her group ensures global access to LHCb data for research and education.

This prestigious award, accompanied by a $3 million prize, will support graduate students through the CERN and Society Foundation. Michigan’s enduring leadership in these collaborations, originating with the late Professor Homer Neal, exemplifies the university’s commitment to innovation and international scientific partnership, making a lasting impact on the world of fundamental physics.