Benjamin Tam

I am an Ph.D candidate at Queen's University under Dr. Mark Chen. My primary research interest is in the field of experimental particle astrophysics, a field that investigates properties of fundamental particles of astrophysical origin (as opposed to those made in particle colliders). I am primarily interested in neutrino physics and am currently focused on the commissioning, operation, calibration, and data analysis of the SNO+ Experiment, a multi-purpose neutrino detector. As a researcher on the SNO+ Experiment, I am also affiliated with the SNOLAB underground research facility, the Queen's Particle Astrophysics Research Group, and the Arthur B. McDonald Canadian Astroparticle Physics Research Institute (formerly the Canadian Particle Astrophysics Research Center). More information on these institutions and members of the SNO+ collaboration at Queen's University can be found in the sidebar to the left.

My other research interests include cosmology (the study of the origin of the universe), specifically with the development of scientific instrumentation. Experiments I have been involved with in the past include the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME), the South Pole Telescope, the Faint Intergalactic Redshifted Emission Balloon II (FIREBall-II), and the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) Space Telescope. I have also done research in massive compact astrophysical objects and wrote my undergraduate thesis on the quiescient x-ray emission of transiently accreting neutron stars using observations of Aquila-X1 by the Chandra X-ray Space Observatory under Dr Robert Rutledge. Other notable scientific advisors include Dr. Matt Dobbs, Dr. David Schiminovich, and Dr. Erika Hamden.