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Cumalat ‘literally re-shaped our understanding of the fundamental particles making up the known universe,’ colleagues note

John Cumalat, professor of distinction in the �鶹��Ѱ����� Department of Physics, has been awarded the 2025 Hazel Barnes Prize.

Established in 1991 by former chancellor James Corbridge to honor the late��Hazel Barnes, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder professor of philosophy from 1953-86, the $20,000 Hazel Barnes Prize celebrates the enriching interrelationship between teaching and research and is the largest and most prestigious award funded by the university.

“Professor Cumalat is an exemplary educator and researcher whose contributions to his students, this university and the field of physics are highly deserving of recognition,” said Chancellor Justin Schwartz. “His selection as the Hazel Barnes Prize winner reflects his dedication and ingenuity, and I am so proud of all the ways he utilizes these qualities in service to �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder and to humanity.”

Cumalat completed his PhD in physics from the University of California Santa Barbara in 1977 and his postdoctoral work with�� in Batavia, Illinois, in 1979. Since joining the �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder physics faculty in 1981, he has garnered multiple honors, including the Best Should Teach Award in 2003, the Robert L. Stearns Award in 2010 and the BFA Excellence in Service Award in 2013. He became a professor of distinction in 2014.

Best known for his research in particle physics and for his development of state-of-the-art particle-detector technology and instrumentation, Cumalat is a member of five professional organizations: Sigma Xi, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Association of Physics Teachers, the American Astronomical Society and the American Physical Society.

He is also a member of the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at��, the current principal investigator of the �鶹��Ѱ�����High Energy Physics Department of Energy Grant and the principal investigator of the Professional Research Experience Program with the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Cumalat has authored or co-authored more than 1,500 publications and has been cited nearly 200,000 times, according to��, an online hub that collects scholarly work in the field of high-energy physics. He has also served on several dozen graduate-student committees and on approximately 150 undergraduate-student thesis committees.

In their letters supporting Cumalat’s nomination for the Hazel Barnes Prize, several of his colleagues noted the significance of his contributions to the field of physics.

“John Cumalat has literally re-shaped our understanding of the fundamental particles making up the known universe,” wrote �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Professor of Physics James Nagle. “His research focuses on the fundamental building blocks of matter and his leadership has led to critical advances in our understanding of quarks as well as the discovery of the Higgs boson.”

“John is one of the very best physicists that I know,” said Joel Butler, a distinguished scientist at Fermilab. “He is well-known and greatly respected throughout the U.S. and in the world. I consider it one of the most fortunate aspects of my own career that I have had this long and productive association with him.”

Other colleagues brought attention to Cumalat’s role in expanding and improving physics education at �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder.

“John’s leadership was critical in the expansion of the number of physics degrees in the College of Arts and Sciences,” said �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Professor of Physics Paul D. Beale. “I believe that John’s most important and lasting contribution to teaching and learning is his leadership in expanding the number of physics students engaged in undergraduate research, especially conducting honors research projects with members of the physics faculty and other scientists and engineers.”

“John is an educator in the broadest sense and has had a lasting impact on his students and colleagues,” said Patricia Rankin, former physics professor at �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder and current chair of the Physics Department at Arizona State University. “He leads by example, he leads from the front, and he leads with integrity and compassion.”

“I am honored to be selected by previous Hazel Barnes winners as the 2025 Hazel Barnes Prize winner,” says Cumalat.��“I particularly value my colleagues in physics nominating me for the award and for soliciting external supporting letters from students and national and international colleagues. I am humbled by the entire process.”

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