Newswise — NEWPORT NEWS, VA – A high school field trip to a particle accelerator set Tyler Hague’s future in motion. Nearly two decades later, he is bringing his antimatter beam research to Capitol Hill from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility.
Hague, a Nathan Isgur Fellow in Experimental Nuclear Physics, will represent Jefferson Lab at the 2026 National Lab Research SLAM. The event, hosted by the House Science and National Labs Caucus and the Senate National Laboratory Caucus, brings together researchers from each of the 17 DOE national laboratories. Each finalist has just three minutes to present their work to policymakers and their staff at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
“Tyler is the kind of scientist who is both deeply thoughtful and genuinely curious,” said Lisa Surles-Law, Jefferson Lab STEM Workforce Development manager. “He has a strong grasp of complex ideas, but what really stands out is how he approaches his work with focus, creativity and a willingness to collaborate.”
A Path Shaped by the Dark Lord
Hague’s path to physics started in a high school classroom in Indiana. His teacher, Stephen Schuh, affectionately known among students as “Dark Lord Stephen”, had a habit of pulling curious students into his office between classes to talk about the latest in physics. Not just textbook physics— groundbreaking, scientific-discovery physics. Those conversations convinced Hague that science wasn’t just something to study. It was interesting, it was exciting, and he wanted to be a part of it.
Then Schuh arranged a field trip for his students to the DOE Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab).
Standing inside a working accelerator laboratory for the first time confirmed his path.
“After that, I knew I needed to be in physics,” Hague said.
He first arrived at Jefferson Lab in 2014 as a third-year graduate student at Kent State University. The lab’s focus on nuclear physics matched his research interests and quickly became his scientific home base.
After earning his doctorate in 2020, Hague held postdoctoral positions at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and DOE Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory before returning full-time.
Opposites Annihilate
Jefferson Lab operates the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF), a DOE Office of Science user facility and one of the world’s most advanced particle accelerators for nuclear physics research. Like a giant microscope, it allows scientists to study matter a million times smaller than an atom, looking deep inside protons and neutrons to examine the quarks and forces that hold them together.
“It’s large enough that we can do really complex projects, but small enough that we have a very tight-knit community,” Hague said.
Hague aims to add a new dimension to that capability. A positron is the antimatter counterpart to an electron, with the same mass and opposite charge. When the two meet, they annihilate each other in an instant, releasing a burst of pure energy. Scientists use them as a powerful research tool.
“The proposed experiments would unlock new knowledge about the building blocks of the world around us,” Hague said, “while also providing insights that can directly improve the precision of nuclear physics measurements.”
In his SLAM talk, Hague zeroes in on a problem at the heart of nuclear physics measurements.
Every measurement carries some contamination, such as background processes that mimic the signal scientists are trying to detect. Nature introduces contamination that scientists cannot prevent, only correct for. Today, those corrections rely on assumptions that cannot be independently tested.
Hague’s work focuses on accelerating positrons alongside electrons, creating a matched pair of beams that would unlock entirely new categories of physics experiments. A positron beam used alongside CEBAF’s electron beam would let scientists directly measure those background processes for the first time, turning educated estimates into verified data.
“In science, being able to change one parameter at a time allows you to isolate effects,” said Douglas Higinbotham, Jefferson Lab acting associate director for Experimental Nuclear Physics and one of Hague’s mentors. “Changing our electron for a positron will allow a deeper understanding into numerous effects that would otherwise be inaccessible.”
Three Minutes on Capitol Hill
“The ability to clearly communicate complex research in a short, engaging format is more important than ever,” Surles-Law said. “Researchers are not only speaking to peers, but also to policymakers and the broader public. When researchers can communicate clearly, they help ensure that science benefits and resonates with everyone.”
For Hague, the SLAM is a first. He has talked extensively about his research to family, friends and colleagues, but this is the first time he will present to a non-specialist audience in an official capacity.
“This feels like the most high-profile talk of my career so far,” he said. “It’s trial by fire, but ultimately excitement is winning out. I enjoy teaching people and I hope the audience learns something.”
He brings that instinct into everything he does. Over the years, Hague has credited a long line of mentors who shaped not just his approach to science, but how he shows up for others.
“Find what excites you, then follow it, even if the path looks different from everyone else’s,” Hague said. “For me, physics is fun. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have a job where I get to spend my time constantly learning.”
The National Lab Research SLAM took place April 15, 2026, at Capitol Hill. The event was streamed live, and the livestream recording is now available at nlresearchslam.org. Follow the event on social media using #NLSLAM26.
Further Reading: https://misportal.jlab.org/pacProposals/proposals/2053/attachments/220562/Proposal.pdf
Contact: Michelle Alvarez, Jefferson Lab Communications Office, [email protected]
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Jefferson Science Associates, LLC, operates the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, or Jefferson Lab, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science.
