2023 Alumni Awards Profiles

Suyog Shrestha ’06

Reunion: 15th
Residence: Chestertown, Maryland
Grinnell major: Physics
Other degrees: Ph.D. in experimental particle physics from Iowa State University (2014)
Profession: Particle physicist and physics professor

3 ways Suyog embodies Grinnell College’s mission of lifetime learning and service

From 2014-2021, Suyog worked at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research), studying the proton-proton collision data at the Large Hadron Collider. The overarching goal of Suyog’s research is to understand the fundamental constituents of the universe, such as the elementary particles and their interactions. His work has practical applications in data science, supercomputing, nuclear medicine, medical imaging, and radiation therapy for cancer.
A Nepal native, Suyog coordinated an agreement between CERN and Nepalese government officials to provide an exchange of technology and knowledge – including the donation of 200 extremely powerful computer servers to a university in Nepal. He also recruited students and teachers from Nepal for training programs at CERN.
Soon after graduating from Grinnell, Suyog and two fellow alums co-founded Youth for Nepal, a nonprofit that raised grant funding in the U.S. and channeled money toward Nepal community development projects, such as renovating public schools, organizing health camps, establishing computer literacy programs, and building libraries in rural Nepal.

Something you probably didn’t know about Suyog

While a student at Grinnell, Suyog learned Russian and lived in the Russian House.

Suyog Shrestha ’06 poses in front of the CERN Large Hadron Collider.

Bonus Suyog Fun Facts

Suyog is an assistant professor of physics at Washington College. He also mentors students as an adjunct assistant professor at The Ohio State University.
Suyog has trained and mentored numerous undergraduate and Ph.D. students from around the world. He has also organized particle physics and supercomputing training schools along with international workshops and outreach programs.
He has received four National Science Foundation funded US-ATLAS outreach grants, and five Italian ICTP Physics Without Frontiers Outreach Grants.

A quote about Suyog

“Fostering strong collaboration across the spectrum of stakeholders is Suyog’s exceptional forte. Suyog forged partnership with the ATLAS collaboration, CERN, International Center for Theoretical Physics, US-ATLAS Outreach Program, International Particle Physics Outreach Group, and the government of Nepal, among others. Suyog’s ability to work with people from diverse walks of life is a genuine hallmark of his Grinnell College liberal arts education, which resulted in creating opportunities for the students and researchers in Nepal.”

– Harris Kagan, emeritus physics professor at The Ohio State University