Nathaniel Craig

2025 National Award Finalist — Faculty

Nathaniel Craig

Current Position:
Professor

Institution:
University of California, Santa Barbara

Discipline:
Theoretical Physics

Recognized for: Deepening our understanding of what gives particles mass, and for paving the way forward for next-generation particle colliders.

Areas of Research Interest and Expertise:
High-Energy Physics, Particle Physics

Previous Positions:

BA, Harvard University
PhD, Stanford University (Advisor: S. Dimopoulos)
Member, Institute for Advanced Study (Advisor: N. Arkani-Hamed)
Postdoctoral Fellow, Rutgers University (Advisor: S. Thomas)
Assistant Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara
Associate Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara
Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara 

Research Summary:

Where does mass come from? Why is there something rather than nothing? How can we uncover the fundamental laws of nature? These questions are the focus of theoretical physicist Nathaniel Craig, PhD, who is pushing the envelope of our understanding of modern particle physics. Advances in fundamental theory led by Craig have led to deep insights into the Higgs boson, the particle that gives other particles their mass, and the forces that shape our universe. Craig’s work has also laid the groundwork for the development of next-generation colliders, setting the stage for paradigm-shifting discoveries for decades to come.

“As I tell my kids, every day I join my colleagues in the office to contemplate the mysteries of the universe from the smallest to the largest observable scales. It’s an honor both to be part of this endeavor and to be recognized for our work.”

Key Publications:

  1. N. Craig, A. Katz, M. Strassler, R. Sundrum. Naturalness in the Dark at the LHC, Journal of High Energy Physics, 2015.
  2. N. Craig, F. D'Eramo, P. Draper, S. Thomas, H. Zhang. The Hunt for the Rest of the Higgs Bosons. Journal of High Energy Physics, 2015.
  3. T. Cohen, N. Craig, X. Lu, D. Sutherland, Is SMEFT Enough? Journal of High Energy Physics, 2021.
  4. H. Al Ali, N. Craig, et al. The muon Smasher's guide. Reports on Progress in Physics, 2022.

Other Honors:

2024 Buchalter Cosmology Prize
2018 Cottrell Scholar Award, Research Corporation for Science Advancement
2015 DOE Early Career Award, Department of Energy
2014 Blavatnik Regional Postdoctoral Award Finalist, Blavatnik Foundation
2005 Graduate Research Fellowship, National Science Foundation
2005 National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship, Department of Defense
2005 LeRoy Apker Award, The American Physical Society
2004 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship
2002 Jacob Wendell Prize, Harvard University 

In the Media:

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