Jamie A.P. Law-Smith
Contact
Office: ERC 443, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago, 5640 S Ellis Ave, Chicago, IL 60637
Email: jamielawsmith@uchicago.edu
Research Interests
For nonspecialists:
I am a theorist (as opposed to an observer or experimentalist). I do research in theoretical astrophysics and theoretical physics. The astrophysics work I do is roughly about what happens near the outside of black holes and the physics work I do is roughly about what happens inside black holes (and also the universe as a whole).
For specialists:
I have broad interests in high energy astrophysics theory and high energy physics theory. Right now I am most excited about trying to connect string theory to astrophysics.
Particular problems I am interested in include the formation of gravitational wave sources, tidal disruptions of stars by black holes, active galactic nuclei, host galaxies, de Sitter space in string theory, vacuum decay, black holes and de Sitter matrix theory, and the string swampland program.
Bio
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago.
I did my undergraduate at Harvard University in Physics and Astrophysics (2010-2014), my PhD at UC Santa Cruz in Astronomy & Astrophysics (2015-2021), and I was a fellow at Harvard University in the Institute for Theory and Computation at the Center for Astrophysics (2021-2023). I started at UChicago in 2023.
CV
Available upon request.
Available positions
I am happy to talk with students and postdocs any time.
Prospective postdocs: If you are interested in working with me as a postdoc at UChicago, either in the A&A department, the KICP, or the particle theory group/Kadanoff Center/EFI in the physics department, please apply to the relevant prize fellowships and also please contact me.
Prospective graduate students: I may not respond to your pre-admissions email (but don't let that stop you) but I am happy to talk after you are admitted.
Software
The STARS library: https://github.com/jamielaw-smith/STARS_library. This is a tool that provides the fallback rate to the black hole from 3D hydrodynamical simulations of tidal disruption events.
Videos
Advocacy
In no particular order.
If you have more than you need, put your money to good use. Effective altruism / charity resources:
Or give directly to effective charities, such as the Against Malaria Foundation and/or the Deworm the World Initiative.
Climate change is real and is one of the major threats to humanity’s long-term survival; it is also responsible for the recent water scarcity crises in several countries. Resources:
Within academia and particularly in physics and astronomy, there are far fewer people from underrepresented groups in undergraduate majors, phd positions, postdoctoral positions, and professorships than are reflected in the demographic makeup of the world. The field needs to do something about this—this includes developing equitable and inclusive hiring, admissions, and grant and telescope proposal reviewal practices, as well as recruiting and retaining students from diverse groups in undergraduate and graduate education. Regarding this aim in astronomy graduate education, the AAS put out a report on the status of diversity and inclusion as well as their recommendations: https://aas.org/task-force-diversity-and-inclusion-graduate-astronomy-education.
Take action to end police violence.
15 Things Your City Can Do Right Now to End Police Brutality from the Center for Popular Democracy.
Other academic material
Textbook lists (physics, astronomy, math): [todo]
Anki decks: [todo]
Unpublished notes: [todo]
Other interests
reading (philosophy, fiction, nonfiction, scifi, fantasy; some favorites: Foundation, Robots, LOTR, Anathem, The Three-Body Problem, Contact, Gödel Escher Bach, Infinite Jest, Joyce, Borges, anything by DK publishing, Welcome to the Museum series, )
playing piano (classical, some jazz)
film/TV (some favorites: Star Trek (TNG, DS9, VOY), Twin Peaks, 2001: A Space Odyssey, There Will be Blood, Magnolia, Requiem for a Dream, all the Miyazaki films, Baraka, Werner Herzog films, )
nature (the woods (particularly evergreens, also rainforests)!, rain, mist, owls)
hiking, yoga, pickup basketball