About The Center for Multi-Messenger Astrophysics

illustration of a beam of light coming out of a black hole in space

The UM Center for Multimessenger Astrophysics (UMCMA) was established within the Department of Physics and Astronomy in 2019. The Center was founded on a strong faculty component working at the interface of gravitational astronomy and particle physics and allows UM researchers to play a prominent role in the emergent field of multimessenger astrophysics across the nation. 

The Center's infrastructure and coordinated efforts are providing UM faculty and students with integrated resources and national recognition that are strengthening the UM role in research and scholarship, as well as enhancing UM graduate programs in science and technology. The Center enhances UM competitiveness in securing external funding, boosts recruitment and retention of high-profile faculty and students in the physics and astronomy programs, and serves Mississippi's community through the educational and public engagement initiatives that the Center pursues.

Since the inception of the UMCMA, the Department of Physics and Astronomy has hired top-tier tenure-track faculty in high energy physics (Dr. Gavin Davies), gravity (Dr. Anuradha Gupta), and most recently, electromagnetic radiation (Nicholas MacDonald) research. With MacDonald's addition to the Center, the UMCMA now has expertise with all three major astrophysics multimessengers: gravitational waves, particles, and EM radiation.

In many ways, the UMCMA finally (after 160 years!) fulfills Chancellor Barnard's vision of making the University of Mississippi a world-leading center for studying the farthest reaches of the universe.

Affiliated Faculty in High Energy Physics

High Energy Physics: Davies and Quinn

Gravity: Bombelli, Gupta, and Stein 

Electromagnatic Radiation: MacDonald

Gavin Davies

Gavin Davies

  • Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Graduate Program Coordinator
Gene Quinn

Gene Quinn

  • Profess of Physics and Astronomy and Director of the Center for Multimessenger Astrophysics
Luca Bombelli

Luca Bombelli

  • Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Anuradha Gupta

Anuradha Gupta

  • Assistant Professor of Physics & Astronomy
Leo Stein

Leo Stein

  • Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Nicholas MacDonald

Nicholas MacDonald

  • Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Post-Docs and Students

High Energy Physics Group

NamePositionEmail
Dr. On KimPostdoc, Fermilabokim@olemiss.edu
Dr. Jeffrey KleykampPostdoc, Fermilabjdkleyka@olemiss.edu
Byungchul YuGraduate Student Fermilab byu1@go.olemiss.edu
Zahin RabbiGraduate Studentzrabbi@go.olemiss.edu
Andrew DyeGraduate Student, Fermilabajdye@go.olemiss.edu
Bishnu AcharyaGraduate Studentbachary1@go.olemiss.edu
Xiaoyan HuangGraduate Studentxhuang6@go.olemiss.edu
Noah KnutsonGraduate Studentnknutson@go.olemiss.edu
Ehsan FarooqGraduate Studentefarooq@go.olemiss.edu
Kaylyn BeardUndergraduate Student

Our Community

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Department of Physics and Astronomy

The Center is located in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Mississippi.

Department of Physics and Astronomy
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aerial image of the Oxford Square

Oxford, Mississippi

A Place That Ever Calls

Located 70 miles from Memphis and surrounded by the natural beauty of Northern Mississippi, Oxford boasts thriving music, art, and literary scenes along with great restaurants. University of Mississippi athletics provides many opportunities to watch and participate in sports—and one of the world’s best tailgating parties. 

With everything Oxford offers, it’s no wonder USA Today names Oxford as one of the Top Six College Towns in the Nation.

Come see why.

Oxford, MS