GMAF Palestine Fellow
Research Area: Nuclear and Particle Physics
MIT Hosts: Will Detmold and Richard Milner
Online Publication Summary
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Biography
Dr. Mahmoud Ibrahim Alstaty is an Assistant Professor of Physics at the Arab American University (AAUP) in Jenin, Palestine. He earned his PhD in Experimental Particle Physics from Aix-Marseille University, France (2018), where he conducted research at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, as a member of the ATLAS Collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider. His doctoral research focused on the commissioning of the ATLAS Pixel Detector and searches for supersymmetric particles in proton-proton collisions.
Dr. Alstaty also holds an MSc in Physics from Birzeit University (2013) and a BSc in Physics from the Arab American University (2009). His research spans experimental particle physics and theoretical nuclear physics, combining detector development, data analysis, and computational modeling of nuclear structure and deformation. He has co-authored more than 320 scientific publications within international high-energy physics collaborations.
In addition to his academic work, Dr. Alstaty has been actively involved in institutional development, strategic planning, and quality assurance initiatives in higher education. He is also engaged in science communication and outreach efforts aimed at promoting physics education and expanding access to scientific knowledge. Beyond his research, he maintains broad intellectual interests in science communication and interdisciplinary dialogue connecting physics with wider questions in society and culture.
During his fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology through the Global MIT At-Risk Fellows (GMAF) Palestine program, Dr. Alstaty is expanding his research collaborations and engaging with the MIT scientific community while further developing his work at the intersection of nuclear and particle physics.
Research Interests
Dr. Alstaty’s research interests span experimental particle physics and theoretical nuclear physics. In experimental particle physics, his work has involved the development and commissioning of particle detectors and the analysis of data from high-energy collider experiments. His research includes searches for physics beyond the Standard Model, including investigations of supersymmetric particles at the Large Hadron Collider and studies of potential dark sector particles in dedicated experiments.
In parallel, his work in theoretical nuclear physics focuses on computational studies of nuclear structure, including investigations of nuclear deformation and shape evolution in atomic nuclei. More broadly, his research combines experimental techniques, data analysis, and computational modeling to advance the understanding of the fundamental constituents and structure of matter.
MIT Fellowship Research Abstract
During his fellowship at MIT, Dr. Alstaty is engaging with experimental and theoretical research groups in nuclear and particle physics while expanding his work on searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. In collaboration with researchers at the MIT Laboratory for Nuclear Science, he is participating in the DarkLight experiment, a low-energy electron–proton scattering experiment designed to search for hypothetical dark sector particles that may provide insight into the nature of dark matter. He is also exploring possible interactions with researchers at MIT’s Center for Theoretical Physics to broaden the theoretical context of these studies.
Honors/Awards
• Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, awarded to the ATLAS Collaboration for discoveries at the Large Hadron Collider during the period of my involvement, 2025.
• Distinguished Researcher Award, Arab American University (AAUP), Jenin, Palestine, 2024.
• Sharing Knowledge Foundation Scholarship supporting doctoral research in collaboration with CERN, Geneva, Switzerland, 2014-2017.
• UNESCO Basic Sciences Grant, Birzeit University, Palestine, 2013.
• Teaching Assistant Scholarship, Birzeit University, Palestine, 2010-2013.
• Dean’s Honor List, Arab American University (AAUP), Jenin, Palestine, awarded each semester for academic excellence during undergraduate study, 2006-2009.
• Presidential Scholarship for students ranked among the national top ten in the General Secondary Examination (Tawjihi), awarded by the Presidency of the State of Palestine, 2006-2009.