Rate My Professor Emily Maher

Emily Maher is Professor of Physics at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) in North Adams, Massachusetts, a position she has held since September 2017, following promotions from Associate Professor (2011-2017) and Assistant Professor (2006-2011). Prior to joining MCLA, she served as Visiting Assistant Professor at the College of the Holy Cross from 2005 to 2006. She chaired the Physics Department at MCLA during 2012-2020 and 2021-2022. Maher earned her Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Minnesota in 2005, with a thesis titled 'A Measurement of the Interaction Charged-Current Cross Section of the Tau Neutrino,' and a B.A. in Physics with departmental honors from Hendrix College in 1999. Her research specialization is experimental particle physics, particularly neutrino interactions. She has collaborated on major Fermilab experiments, including DONuT (first direct observation of the tau neutrino), MINOS, and since 2007, MINERvA, where she served as Calibration Coordinator (2012-2020), member of the Executive Committee, and contributed to detector construction, data calibration for over 32,000 channels, analysis, and paper committees.

Maher's contributions to MINERvA resulted in numerous publications, including the 2023 Nature paper 'Measurement of the axial vector form factor from antineutrino-proton scattering' (Nature 614, 48-53), which provided the first direct experimental measurement of antineutrino-proton scattering and was selected as one of the top 10 physics breakthroughs of 2023 by Physics World. She has supervised undergraduate research projects, with students presenting at conferences such as APS meetings and COPLAC. Maher has secured grants including a five-year NSF award (2013-2019), a 2019 Title III grant for physics outreach, and MCLA Faculty Incentive Awards in 2016 and others. She developed courses like 'Computational and Mathematical Methods of Physics,' completed online teaching certification, and participated in professional development on inclusive STEM teaching. Additionally, she has engaged in curriculum reform, student advising initiatives, science fair judging, and outreach events such as Berkshire Goes to College Day.