Rate My Professor Diana Parno

Parno's research centers on experimental neutrino physics within nuclear and particle physics. Her primary interests include determining the absolute neutrino mass scale through tritium beta decay spectroscopy with the KATRIN experiment in Germany, where she serves as Analysis Co-Coordinator and U.S. spokesperson. She also investigates coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) with the COHERENT experiment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, acting as Analysis Co-Coordinator. As co-Principal Investigator of the TRIMS experiment, she studies molecular effects pertinent to KATRIN analyses, and her group recently joined Project 8 for cyclotron-radiation-based neutrino mass measurements. Notable contributions include upper limits on neutrino mass (e.g., less than 0.45 eV/c² at 90% confidence level from KATRIN data) and advancements in detector technology. Key publications encompass "Observation of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering" (Science, 2017), "Direct neutrino-mass measurement with sub-electronvolt sensitivity" (Nature Physics, 2022), "Improved upper limit on the neutrino mass from a direct kinematic method by KATRIN" (Physical Review Letters, 2019), and "First measurement of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering on argon" (Physical Review Letters, 2021). In 2021, she was awarded the U.S. Department of Energy Early Career Research Award to develop a heavy-water detector module for COHERENT. Parno is committed to equity in science, co-authoring "LGBT+ Inclusivity in Physics and Astronomy."