Alex Lupsasca
Co-Investigator
I am a theorist specializing in black holes, classical and quantum gravity, and relativistic astrophysics. I am the Project Scientist for the Black Hole Explorer and have been an Assistant Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Vanderbilt since 2022. I am a co-recipient of the 2024 New Horizons in Physics Prize from the Breakthrough Foundation (together with Michael Johnson) and was also awarded the 2024 IUPAP General Relativity and Gravitation Early Career Scientist Prize from the International Society on General Relativity & Gravitation for my work on black hole imaging.
Much of my current research focuses on electromagnetic observations of black holes using (very-long-baseline) radio interferometry: a major goal is to identify observable signatures—in both intensity and polarization—of the “photon ring” traced by orbiting light and of black hole electromagnetic energy extraction (via the Blandford-Znajek mechanism). I am also carrying out theoretical work on black hole ringdown (and its connection to the photon ring) as well as on metric reconstruction in black hole perturbation theory. In parallel, I have recently uncovered novel black hole symmetries and am now exploring their possible generalization and physical implications.
Contact
Simons Collaboration ON Black Holes and Strong Gravity 