Matthew Reinhard

Matthew was born and raised in Miami, Florida. During his last two years of high school, he studied physics and calculus, and became completely enamored with the ability of mathematics to unveil the inner workings of the natural word. In 2015, he moved to Orlando to study physics at the University of Central Florida (UCF). During his undergraduate studies, he felt that he wanted a deeper understanding of mathematics than was provided through the physics coursework, so he added a second major in mathematics. In 2020, Matthew graduated from UCF with a B.S. in Physics and Mathematics, and soon after moved to Gainesville to pursue a Ph.D. in Physics at the University of Florida.

Matthew's primary research interests lie in the intersection of High Energy Theory, Cosmology, and Astrophysics. His current work is focused on a period of exponential expansion of space which occurred just moments after the beginning of the universe, known as inflation. Cosmologists think that the particles present during inflation, and the rules by which they interact, may show up in how matter first clumped together. Thus this early period of expansion can ultimately be related to the Large-Scale Structure (LSS) of our Universe. Recent measurements of the galaxy 4-Point Correlation Function (4PCF) have found tentative evidence of parity violation in the LSS. While the standard model of inflation does not allow for such parity violation, this does arise naturally from an alternative inflationary model known as axion inflation. Matthew, in collaboration with other group members, has devised a method to simplify the computation of the 4PCF for axion inflation. He is currently working on translating this statistic into the galaxy 4PCF, so that we can compare the predictions of axion inflation with data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI).

Outside of his teaching and research work, Matthew tries to stay active with a weekly routine of weight lifting, practicing Brazillian jiu-jitsu, and (slowly!) learning Spanish with Duolingo. He spends much of his free time listening to podcasts, watching TV shows, and reading. He also enjoys spending time with friends and family, as well as traveling to new places, and usually spends a couple weeks out of the year camping and exploring national and state parks.