The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics recognized Francis Halzen for his work on the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. Naoko Kurahashi Neilson, PhD, a professor in Drexel University’s College of Arts and Sciences, has been an integral part of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and its major discoveries for much of her career. Together with College of Arts and Sciences Teaching Professor Christina Love, PhD, and generations of PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and undergraduates, she has helped to make Drexel’s Department of Physics an important part of IceCube’s scientific research.
The connection also extends beyond research: Halzen previously visited Drexel as a Kaczmarczik Lecturer in 2018, sharing the science of extreme astronomical objects, the South Pole and the largest particle detector in the world to over 700 high school students and the Drexel community. The Kaczmarczik Lecture is organized by Drexel’s Department of Physics, where Professor Dave Goldberg, PhD, is the department head.
The Drexel News Blog recently spoke with Kurahashi Neilson, Love and Goldberg about the Nobel Prize, Drexel’s role in IceCube’s groundbreaking discoveries and where the science goes from here.
Professor Kurahashi Neilson, you have been deeply involved in IceCube and its major discoveries for much of your career. What has it been like to see this science recognized with a Nobel Prize?
Kurahashi Neilson: It feels like yet another milestone in what we do, but a big milestone! The recognition is special, and Francis’ vision and leadership got us this beautiful detector we all get to work on.
What have been some of the most important IceCube discoveries you and your students have worked on?
Kurahashi Neilson: It’s very special to see the papers that students and postdocs at Drexel published in the citations as the reason for the Nobel. Former postdoctoral fellow Mike Richman, PhD, (2023) and Steve Sclafani’s, PhD (2023) work has been used for multiple Nobel citations, including this one. Riya Shah’s, PhD (2026) work made an entry too this year. My group at Drexel does work that justifies Francis getting the Nobel Prize. They should be very proud. It shows the caliber of research possible at Drexel.
Francis Halzen also has a connection to Drexel as a former Kaczmarczik Lecturer. What is this lecture series and what do you remember about his visit?
Goldberg: The Kaczmarczik Lecture has been running for 25 years and is a major event in the life of Drexel’s Physics Department and the community. Named after a beloved professor, Paul Kaczmarczik, the lecture brings groundbreaking science to the Philadelphia community in an accessible and engaging way. Approximately 700 Philadelphia-area high school students participate in the event each year.
The series includes a talk and a Q&A period, but also a science demo fair run by the students and faculty in the department – all with the goal of getting them excited about science. While we have had multiple Nobel laureates give the lecture, Professor Halzen, who gave the lecture in 2018, was the first to do so before getting the award. Professor Kurahashi Neilson even commented on the likely possibility in her introductory remarks.
What comes next for IceCube?
Love: Drexel postdocs Sohyoun Yun Carcamo, PhD, and Woosik Kang, PhD, will continue to work on pushing the boundaries on what is possible with multi-messenger astronomy, both with IceCube and other experiments around the world.
For IceCube as a whole, we recently completed IceCube Upgrade by deploying five new strings into the ice, which will increase our world-leading sensitivity to particle physics measurements. Further ahead, IceCube-Gen2 would significantly expand the detector and its scientific reach, carrying Francis Halzen’s vision into the next generation of neutrino science.
How are Drexel researchers, students, and even members of the public contributing to the next chapter?
Love: At Drexel, I run Name that Neutrino, IceCube’s citizen science project, where anyone can help analyze IceCube data. Through this project, we reach millions of people around the world, while also advancing new methods of analyzing our data. Name that Neutrino involves a large team of Drexel students, including graduate student JJ Pimentel and undergraduates William Zheng, Peter Tzimoulis, Maroua Guerroumi, Sahas Poudel, Willem Kirsch, Alex Seniw, Angelina Adams, and Ava Scholl building on theses by former graduate student Elizabeth Warrick and former undergraduates Madeline Lee and Andrew Phillips.
Reporters interested in speaking with Kurahashi Neilson, Love or Goldberg should contact Mike Tuberosa, assistant director, News & Media Relations, mt85@drexel.edu or 215.895.2705.
