Tova Holmes
University of Tennessee
Statement
I’m currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I became a Fermilab user at the start of that appointment in 2020 when I joined the CMS experiment. Before that, I spent a decade on the ATLAS experiment, including working as a PhD student at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. On CMS, I focus on track finding for the HL-LHC Tracker upgrade and unconventional searches for new particles including long-lived and diffuse signatures.
Since moving to CMS I have been taking advantage of the resources that Fermilab has to offer and contributing back to them, while also maintaining an outsider perspective from my experience elsewhere (why is it that LBNL can have 5-year user contracts and Fermilab is capped at 1?) I served on the LPC Management Board from 2022-2024, and I have hosted two workshops at Fermilab. Most recently, I co-chaired the Inaugural US Muon Collider Meeting which successfully brought 275 people on-site and invigorated a “high-tempo” week at the LPC.
This is a crucial time for Fermilab: it has to deliver on its ambitious projects like the CMS upgrade and DUNE, while also furthering scientific technology and laying the groundwork for its extended future. Accomplishing all of this simultaneously will require strong engagement from its user community and strong support from funding agencies. On the UEC, I hope to put my efforts towards these two challenges.