The American Physical Society recently honored six researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory with awards for their outstanding contributions to their scientific fields.
Founded in 1899, APS is a professional organization representing more than 50,000 members worldwide and is dedicated to advancing physics research, science policy, education and public engagement. Each year, APS bestows a broad range of prizes, awards and medals to recognize exceptional achievements across the physics community — from early-career scientists to leading established researchers.
APS honors at Fermilab were awarded to:
Joel Butler — W.K.H. Panofsky Prize in Experimental Particle Physics
Joel Butler, a distinguished scientist at Fermilab and former spokesperson for the CMS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, has received the American Physical Society’s 2026 Panofsky Prize in Experimental Particle Physics. The Panofsky Prize, awarded annually, recognizes and encourages outstanding achievements in experimental particle physics, and nominations are open to scientists worldwide. According to APS, Butler received the prize for wide-ranging scientific, technical and strategic contributions to particle physics; exceptional leadership in fixed-target quark-flavor experiments at Fermilab; and his contributions to collider physics at the Large Hadron Collider.
Elena Pinetti — Henry Primakoff Award for Early-Career Particle Physics
Elena Pinetti, a postdoctoral researcher at Fermilab, has received the APS 2026 Henry Primakoff Award for Early-Career Particle Physics for “original ideas and innovative research in the study of particle dark matter, compact astrophysical objects, high-energy astrophysical sources and cosmic radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum.” Pinetti’s research focuses on searching for dark matter in the universe using a multimessenger approach.
APS Fellows
Four Fermilab scientists were named 2025 APS Fellows. Fellowship is an elite distinction awarded each year to no more than one-half of 1% of current APS members. The APS Fellowship program recognizes members who have made advances in physics through original research and publication or made significant, innovative contributions in the application of physics to science and technology. The full listing of fellows may be viewed on the APS website.
Anadi Canepa — Division of Particles and Fields Fellowship
“For pioneering roles in searches for supersymmetric particles; for outstanding leadership at TRIUMF and Fermilab and on the CDF, ATLAS and CMS collaborations, including the CMS tracker upgrade for the High-Luminosity LHC and future collider opportunities; and for broad public engagement.”
Victor Daniel Elvira — Forum on International Physics Fellowship
“For work on understanding and using jet final states, exploring quantum chromodynamics and physics beyond the Standard Model; for software processes — especially in GEANT4 and AI and machine learning — that aids global high-energy physics research; and for fostering international software and computing collaborations …”
Matthew Toups — Division of Particles and Fields Fellowship
“For wide-ranging and significant contributions to the MicroBooNE experiment, from construction and commissioning of the detector through to the publication of a large body of first-of-their-kind neutrino physics results with liquid-argon time projection chambers.”
Herman White — Forum on Physics and Society Fellowship
“For inspiring leadership and advocacy for physics, science education and communication with policy makers, governments and the public; and for outstanding contributions to several areas of high-energy physics.”
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is America’s premier national laboratory for particle physics and accelerator research. Fermi Forward Discovery Group manages Fermilab for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. Visit Fermilab’s website at www.fnal.gov and follow us on social media.
Each year at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the guest artist and composer program, funded by Fermi Forward Discovery Group, facilitates creative collaborations with scientists and engineers to make Fermilab’s scientific exploration more accessible.
“I want to gather the data, see what’s interpreted from it and transfer that to a visual plane.”
Visual artist Eleftheria Lialios
When studying the universe at its smallest scales, researchers at Fermilab rely on massive detectors that translate unseeable subatomic particles into data that researchers can interpret. They use graphs, tables and charts to represent the signals from the detectors, but artists’ creative perspectives can present this science in imaginative and unexpected ways that resonate with the public.
“Music is the most abstract of the art forms; it takes place in time.”
Composer Isaac Smith
In 2026, guest artist Eleftheria Lialios and guest composer Isaac Smith will bring their distinctly creative viewpoints to translate complex scientific concepts into immersive multisensory experiences.
A selection committee composed of Fermilab scientific staff and public engagement staff evaluates applicants to the program based on their creative and academic backgrounds and their enthusiasm for immersing themselves in Fermilab’s scientific work.
“Our artists and guest composers create works rooted in science that inspire and provoke thought,” said Georgia Schwender, Fermilab visual arts coordinator.
Eleftheria Lialios — Guest Artist
Visual artist Eleftheria Lialios brings a deeply personal and historical approach to her work, with roots in psychology, anthropology and photography. At Fermilab, she is interested in how scientific data, particularly from cosmic ray telescopes and particle accelerators, can be transformed into engaging visual experiences.
“Everyone interprets art based on who they are; that’s the individuation of art,” Lialios said. “I want to gather the data, see what’s interpreted from it and transfer that to a visual plane.”
Her process is immersive and tactile. She has created large-scale transparencies, installations and even sculptural works based on photographic imagery. At Fermilab, she hopes to leverage Fermilab’s scientific tools and resources to create new visual narratives that blend scientific observation with artistic intuition.
Isaac Smith — Guest Composer
Isaac Smith, with a background in both mathematics and music, sees a natural harmony between scientific abstraction and musical expression.
“Music is the most abstract of the art forms; it takes place in time,” he said. “When you relate to what’s going on in STEM, no human has seen a neutrino or a proton. We detect the remnants or traces of these things. Music lets you dig into the emotional or spiritual content of that abstraction.”
Smith, who holds a doctorate in music composition and works in the Musicology and Music Theory Office at Indiana University, has long been fascinated by the elusive nature of neutrinos. His upcoming work at Fermilab will focus on data sonification — transforming scientific data into sound.
Smith said he is particularly interested in how music can embody the joy, curiosity and wonder that scientists feel when exploring the unknown.
“The big thing I’m going to try to do initially is connect with the scientists,” Smith explained. “I aim to understand what they’re doing and what they’re excited about. I want to form a relationship with them and get my feet under me in terms of connecting with the scientific data.”
Lialios and Smith will work throughout the year, and in the latter half of 2026, the public will be able to experience their creations firsthand in Fermilab’s Wilson Hall.
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is America’s premier national laboratory for particle physics and accelerator research. Fermi Forward Discovery Group manages Fermilab for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. Visit Fermilab’s website at fnal.gov and follow us on social media