Stony Brook Physicist Wins Major DOE Award to Probe Dark Energy

On Jan. 9, 2026, Simon Birrer was awarded a U.S. Department of Energy Early Career Research Program grant valued at approximately $875,000 spread over five years to support a research program analyzing the expansion history of the universe. Birrer’s project will use strong gravitational lensing observations identified by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory to probe dark energy, leveraging the large sample of lensing systems the Rubin survey is expected to produce.

The award will fund a five-year effort at Stony Brook to assemble and analyze lensing systems and extract cosmological information about the universe’s expansion. Strong gravitational lensing occurs when a massive foreground object bends light from a more distant source, producing multiple images that can be used to infer distances and expansion rates. By applying these techniques to a much larger sample than has previously been available, Birrer’s team intends to place tighter constraints on dark energy models and on how cosmic expansion has changed over time.

Stony Brook colleagues and department leadership noted the significance of the award for early-career research leadership and for the university’s expanding presence in astronomy research. For Suffolk County, the grant represents both immediate and longer-term implications: it brings federal research dollars into a local institution, supports graduate and undergraduate training opportunities in a high-end field, and may help attract additional grants, visiting researchers, and technology partnerships that affect the regional research economy.

The grant also illustrates federal priorities in basic science and the role of national laboratories and observatories in producing data used by university teams. Local policymakers and university leaders will face decisions about research infrastructure, workforce development, and community engagement to maximize the public return on these investments. Transparency and accountability in how federal funds are used will be essential for public trust as the project develops.

Over the five-year span Birrer’s team will process Rubin-identified lens samples, refine methods for extracting cosmological signals, and publish results that could influence broader scientific understanding of dark energy. For residents of Suffolk County, the work offers opportunities for hands-on training in cutting-edge astronomy, potential public outreach activities, and greater visibility for Stony Brook as a center for fundamental scientific research.