Samuel Patrone
Phenomenological Physicist
PhD in Physics, Caltech · Incoming Postdoctoral Researcher at UC San Diego
Phenomenological Physicist
PhD in Physics, Caltech · Incoming Postdoctoral Researcher at UC San Diego
I am a phenomenological physicist. I earned my PhD from the California Institute of Technology on 27 May 2026, working at the Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics under the guidance of Prof. Mark B. Wise. In September 2026, I will join the University of California, San Diego as a Postdoctoral Researcher.
My research lives at the crucial interface between abstract mathematical models and experimental observations in cosmology and particle physics. From particle tracks in beam dump experiments to the large-scale structure of galaxies, I specialize in making theories testable: translating complex frameworks into predictions for experiments probing new physics beyond the Standard Model.
With publications in Physical Review D, JCAP, and JHEP, and invited talks at leading institutions including CERN, Texas A&M University, Northwestern University, and the University of Zurich, I bring both depth and clarity to the frontiers of theoretical physics.
Graduate fellowship at Caltech awarded for outstanding academic performance.
Fellowship awarded by the prestigious Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, named after the Italian physicist Enrico Persico, to outstanding early-career physicists.
Graduate fellowship at Caltech providing $18,000 in support for doctoral research in theoretical physics.
Joint INFN–NSF fellowship supporting research within the LIGO gravitational-wave collaboration.
National award from Con.Scienze, the Italian association of university science programmes, recognising the country's top-ranked graduates in the physical sciences for their Master's thesis research.
Merit-only honors college of Sapienza University of Rome, Italy's largest university. Part of the Merita network alongside the Scuola Normale Superiore and Sant'Anna School of Pisa, SSAS selects the most talented students through competitive examination for advanced interdisciplinary training alongside their degree. View profile.
UC San Diego
Starting September 2026
California Institute of Technology
Advisor: M. B. Wise Defense slides Thesis
Sapienza University of Rome
summa cum laude · Top 5%
Sapienza University of Rome
summa cum laude · Top of class
Investigating power spectra and non-Gaussianities in warm inflation, with a focus on the phenomenological implications of dissipation mechanisms with fractional temperature dependence.
Refining searches for axionlike particles in beam dump experiments and calculating radiative corrections to quantify the naturalness of models beyond the Standard Model.
Developing and studying leptogenesis in Nelson-Barr models, connecting CP violation to the observed matter-antimatter asymmetry of the universe.
Analytical and numerical calculations of the galaxy bispectrum, resolving regularization ambiguities in the galaxy bias expansion within the effective field theory framework.
“My work is designed to make the invisible universe accessible, exploring how microscopic phenomena leave distinct fingerprints on current observables, from the smallest tracks in particle accelerators to the large-scale structure of galaxies.”
Phys. Rev. D 113, 075009 (2026)
Refined axionlike particle searches in beam dump experiments at SHiP (CERN) and BDX (JLab), finding order-of-magnitude enhancements in visible decay yields by accounting for the complete electromagnetic shower.
Co-author on 16+ peer-reviewed papers, including 10 as a member of the LIGO Scientific and Virgo Collaborations. Full publication record:
I have over five years of teaching experience at Caltech, spanning courses from introductory classical mechanics to advanced quantum field theory. At Caltech, I obtained the Certificate of Practice in University Teaching and served as Physics & Astronomy TA Fellow, supporting 122 individual TAs and graders across 231 term-based assignments.
My teaching philosophy is organized around three commitments: Engage students with physical motivation before formalism; Collaborate by making students do the intellectual work of physics; Include by creating environments where every student feels entitled to ask questions and take intellectual risks. Student evaluations have consistently returned 5.00/5.00 across all TA categories.
As a science communicator at the Sapienza Physics Museum in Rome, I spent three years conducting bilingual guided tours, bringing nineteenth- and twentieth-century physics experiments to life for diverse audiences.
“Excellent TA. Great balance in OH of giving an overview of problems without going too much into the weeds of the calculation, while also providing interesting insights into the physics we are studying. You’ll make a great lecturer one day.”
Student evaluation, Ph205b, Caltech
“Sam was the best TA of the course, he was well prepared, clear, and very knowledgeable about the course content. We all wished he was responsible for more than two homeworks.”
Student evaluation, Ph125a, Caltech
“Sam was an incredible TA! He was able to explain concepts with great knowledge and clarity during office hours, and I appreciated his availability, enthusiasm, and encouraging attitude when helping students.”
Student evaluation, Ph205b, Caltech
“Thank you Sam! I really enjoyed coming to your office hours and your advice was really helpful.”
Student evaluation, Ph139, Caltech
“This TA is fantastic, I thought they were immensely helpful. I was disappointed however, that they were not TAing for the whole quarter.”
Student evaluation, Ph125a, Caltech
“Sam was very helpful in office hours etc. He was very available to ask questions and he made things much clearer. I was grateful for him being able to help the students out when the lectures and homework got misaligned. Thank you thank you thank you so much. You have made a world of a difference.”
Student evaluation, Ph139, Caltech
With over a decade of dedicated study and an Advanced Certificate from Trinity College London, music remains a wellspring of discipline and creative expression. I am a regular presence at classical music concerts, drawing inspiration from the interplay of structure and emotion.
Beyond the laboratory, I find great pleasure in reading and engaging in thoughtful discussions on philosophy, literature, and poetry, pursuing beauty and truth in all its forms.
From 2015 to 2018, I served as Youth Council President representing 30,000 residents, developing skills in public speaking, consensus-building, and community advocacy that continue to shape how I engage with students and colleagues.
In 2025, I joined Scale AI as a Human Frontier Collective Specialist, designing and validating complex physics problems, from graduate level to frontier research, for training large language models, ensuring scientific rigor in AI responses and bridging physics expertise with practical AI applications.
Interested in research collaboration, a speaking invitation, or simply want to discuss physics? I’d love to hear from you.