Leadership

The Yale Center for the Invisible Universe (YCIU) was founded in 2024 to support pioneering research on dark matter, dark energy, black holes, and neutrinos. YCIU hosts scientists and workshops to enable scientific innovation and collaboration. The center’s environment is dynamic and interdisciplinary, cutting across departments to drive progress in the field. The goal is to uncover the fundamental forces that govern the universe, spark curiosity, and empower the next generation of scientists. Heeger is one of the founding co-directors. 

The P5 report, “Exploring the Quantum Universe: Pathways to Innovation and Discovery in Particle Physics,” is a 10-year strategic plan with a 20-year vision for U.S. particle physics research approved by the High Energy Physics Advisory Panel (HEPAP)—an advisory panel to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Wright Lab hosts a broad research program in experimental nuclear, particle, and astrophysics, with particular emphasis on instrumentation development and quantum sensing for fundamental physics. Wright Lab provides facilities, infrastructure, and a research community for transformative research in fundamental science and trains the next generation of leaders in science and technology. Heeger led the transformation of Wright Lab following the end of the nuclear physics program at the Wright Nuclear Structure Laboratory (WNSL) in 2011 and continues to shape its direction as Director.

Heeger served as Chair of the Yale Physics Department from 2019-2025. This included responsibility for the undergraduate and graduate programs, student affairs, departmental operations, staffing and finance, as well as space and advocacy. The chair provides overall leadership and vision. During his tenure, the department hired several faculty, provided continuity for research and teaching through COVID, updated curricula and requirements for Yale Physics degree programs, and developed new lab and interaction spaces. Heeger also oversaw an external departmental review in 2

As Co-Chair of the Yale Instrumentation initiative, later the AIDC Committee, Heeger led the research instrumentation community at Yale to shape a vision for a new hub for instrumentation at Yale— now being realized as the AIDC, as part of Yale’s Upper Science Hill Development.

The AIDC realizes one of the cross-cutting priorities identified in the University Science Strategy Committee report. It will build upon the existing Wright Lab Advanced Prototyping Center and provide a hub for the design, fabrication, and testing of novel research instrumentation at Yale.

PSEB is a generational complex supporting initiatives in quantum science, engineering, and materials. Enabling work is underway, and the overall project is scheduled to be complete in 2030.  

Spanning 420 feet in length, PSEB will take advantage of the sloped topography of Science Hill and situate most of the new laboratories on low-vibration bedrock, all while connecting adjacent buildings. In addition to the investment in high-performance quantum research laboratories, PSEB also represents a significant investment in core facilities.