Dr. Rijeesh Keloth

As a Research Scientist at Virginia Tech, my work centers on building and operating precision detectors to probe physics beyond the Standard Model. I study neutrinos—the universe’s most elusive messengers—through careful measurements of oscillation parameters and targeted searches for sterile-neutrino signatures that could reveal hidden sectors of nature. While the Standard Model is extraordinarily successful, it doesn’t fully account for dark matter, matter–antimatter asymmetry, or the complete landscape of neutrino properties; my doctoral research rigorously tested alternative frameworks aimed at closing these gaps. Previously with the SoLid reactor experiment in Belgium, I led machine-learning–based particle identification to enhance heavy neutral lepton (HNL) sensitivity, and I served as Data Quality & Operations convener and later Data Manager, overseeing detector performance and the integrity of large, real-time data streams. Earlier, in NOvA at Fermilab, I contributed to short-baseline sterile-oscillation searches and analysis/operations—experience that grounded my approach to robust systematics and large-scale production workflows. Today, in DarkSide-20k, an ultra-sensitive liquid-argon TPC dark-matter search, I focus on the design, development, and optimization of the wire-grid system—a critical element for precise charge collection and electric-field uniformity. This role tightly couples hardware design, simulation, and qualification testing to deliver reliable performance in a high-stakes underground environment. I also collaborate with ProtoDUNE at CERN, further strengthening my expertise across detector design, calibration, and large-scale instrumentation.