By Tiffany Whitfield
Three Ϲ students have earned the competitive Jefferson Science Associates () Fellowship from the Southeastern Universities Research Association, Inc. (). Richard Whitehill, Darren Upton and Emerson “Penn” Rogers are pursuing different aspects of physics, but each of their research topics are cutting-edge and impactful to the Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab).
The scope of their research could lead to cost-saving innovations in medicine and industry or change how artificial intelligence helps with data collection and interpretation. Darren works with Professor and Chair Sebastian Kuhn, Ph.D., on experimental nuclear and particle physics; Richard works with Assistant Professor Arkaitz Rodas Bilbao, Ph.D., on theoretical nuclear and particle physics; and Penn works with Professor Balša Terzić, Ph.D., on accelerator science.
“This is an unprecedented record for Ϲ or really any university to have three of these highly competitive fellowships going to the same institution,” said Dr. Kuhn. “The caliber of work that these doctoral students are doing is clearly of high quality, as witnessed by their success within a large field of applicants.”
Darren joined Ϲ’s Department of Physics in the Summer of 2023 after earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the University of Virginia in Spring of 2023. As a native of Hampton Roads, he feels “extremely honored and privileged” to have been supported by Jefferson Lab as a high school, undergraduate and graduate student. His research focuses on studying the structure of protons and neutrons — the basic building blocks of all matter.
“While many scientists study the source of electric charge and the mass of these particles, I study the quantum mechanical property known as spin,” Darren said. “Using the same principles as MRI machines, we align the spin of nuclei, then use electrons from the particle accelerator at Jefferson Lab to smash nuclei and measure what comes out.”
“This is an unprecedented record for Ϲ or really any university to have three of these highly competitive fellowships going to the same institution,” said Dr. Sebastian Kuhn, Professor and Chair of Physics. “The caliber of work that these doctoral students are doing is clearly of high quality, as witnessed by their success within a large field of applicants.”
Over the past several decades, researchers at Ϲ and Jefferson Lab have learned to more effectively align the spins, while the particle accelerator at Jefferson Lab has become more powerful. “We needed a new model to accurately simulate our experiment to understand sources of experimental error,” Darren said. The fellowship will enable him to design updated models that use machine-learning methods to describe the previous experimental data.
“Having already begun his work on this problem as an undergraduate, he is truly deserving of the high recognition of being selected as one of the 2025 JSA Fellowship recipients,” Dr. Kuhn said.
Richard joined Ϲ’s Ph.D. Physics program in 2023 after completing dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Physics and Mathematics at Wichita State University. His research explores the hidden dynamics inside the proton through theoretical methods and the development of AI-powered tools.
“My proposed research for the JSA fellowship will focus on developing new techniques that use artificial intelligence to modernize theoretical Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) studies and improve how we connect theory to experimental data,” Richard said. This will help researchers gain deeper insight into the fundamental structure of matter from the wealth of data coming from Jefferson Lab and the future Electron-iIon Collider. “I am truly excited and grateful to receive the JSA fellowship, which will support this work and give me the opportunity to contribute to the vibrant research community at Jefferson Lab.”
“Since most of the visible universe is made of protons and neutrons, uncovering how these particles are built from their fundamental building blocks — quarks and gluons — helps us better understand the universe itself,” he said. The strong force that binds quarks and gluons together, described by the theory of QCD, “is unlike any other force in nature,” he said. “Because quarks and gluons cannot exist freely, we must study them indirectly through high-energy scattering experiments, such as those carried out at Jefferson Lab and planned at the future Electron-Ion Collider.”
“Richard continues to push the boundaries of theoretical nuclear physics,” said Dr. Bilbao. “With several peer-reviewed publications already to his name and a growing presence as a young researcher with exceptional potential, his selection as a 2025 JSA Graduate Fellow is a well-deserved recognition of his accomplishments and future promise.”
Penn completed his undergraduate degree at Ϲ in the Spring of 2021 and immediately joined Ϲ’s Physics Ph.D. program that fall. Penn works on inverse Compton sources, which are important because they generate high-quality, high-energy X-rays that can be used in medicine, material science, biology, other areas of physics and even in homeland security.
“This cutting-edge technology provides a cheap alternative to the multibillion-dollar government facilities capable of generating similar quality X-rays,” said Penn. “Inverse Compton sources generate these X-rays in a process called inverse Compton scattering, in which a laser beam is collided with an electron beam. When the beams collide, the electrons in the electron beam transfer massive amounts of energy to the photons in the laser beam, exciting them into the X-ray regime.”
“My research is focused on a phenomenon called the radiation reaction that occurs during inverse Compton scattering in strong laser beams,” Penn said. “In these strong lasers, the radiation reaction diminishes the quality of X-rays generated by inverse Compton scattering, so researchers must understand this phenomenon if this technology is to be viable. I am honored and thrilled to have been chosen to receive the JSA/JLab Graduate Fellowship for this research. It demonstrates the faith of the Jefferson Science Associates in me and my research, along with their desire to push these boundaries of physics forward into the future.”
According to Dr. Terzić, “Penn consistently demonstrates a rare combination of childlike curiosity and rigorous scholarship. His ability to cut quickly to the essence of a problem, grasp its complexities and devise innovative approaches is something I have seldom seen at any level — let alone from a graduate student. I can think of no one more deserving of this recognition than Penn.”
Making discoveries is at the center of research at Ϲ. “In the Department of Physics, these three doctoral students are elevating science while coming up with real-world solutions for both technologically important and fundamental discoveries,” said Dr. Kuhn.