Sub-site · Academic

Research & scholarship

I work on the nuclear many-body problem across theory, statistics, and experiment. The methods change with the question, from Bayesian emulators and interpretable models to laser spectroscopy at the proton drip line.


01

Research interests

Statistics & inference

  • Bayesian inference
  • Uncertainty quantification
  • Multi-fidelity emulation
  • Experimental design & optimization

Nuclear physics

  • Ab initio nuclear structure
  • Exotic & short-lived isotopes
  • Laser spectroscopy
  • Chiral effective field theory

AI & machine learning

  • Interpretability & alignment
  • Symbolic & interpretable models
  • Equivariant & geometric models
  • Generative models

Wider curiosity

  • Complex systems
  • Emergent phenomena
  • Econometrics (with HPC)
  • High-energy & particle physics

02

Publications

  1. 2026

    Nuclear Charge Radii of Aluminium Isotopes at the Proton Drip Line

    A. Brinson, …, J. M. Munoz, …

    Preprint arXiv:2605.09139

  2. 2026

    Linking Electromagnetic Moments to Nuclear Interactions with a Global Physics-Driven Machine-Learning Emulator

    J. M. Munoz, A. Belley, A. Ekström, G. Hagen, J. D. Holt, R. F. García Ruiz

    Preprint arXiv:2603.26905

  3. 2026

    Global Framework for Emulation of Nuclear Calculations

    A. Belley, J. M. Munoz, R. F. García Ruiz

    Journal Physical Review Letters 136, 082501

  4. 2025

    Constrained Tabular Diffusion for Finance

    M. Cardei, J. M. Munoz, O. Barrera, S. Chandrahas, P. Saha

    Proceedings ACM ICAIF ’25 (6th Int. Conf. on AI in Finance)

  5. 2025

    Discovering Nuclear Models from Symbolic Machine Learning

    J. M. Munoz, S. M. Udrescu, R. F. García Ruiz

    Journal Communications Physics 8, 101

  6. 2023

    A General Framework for Equivariant Neural Networks on Reductive Lie Groups

    I. Batatia, M. Geiger, J. M. Munoz, T. Smidt, L. Silberman, C. Ortner

    Proceedings NeurIPS 36 (2023)

  7. 2023

    Predicting Beta-Decay Energy with Machine Learning

    J. M. Munoz, S. Akkoyun, Z. P. Reyes, L. A. Pachón

    Journal Physical Review C 107, 034308

  8. 2023

    Five Texture Zeros in the Lepton Sector and Neutrino Oscillations at DUNE

    R. H. Benavides, D. V. Forero, L. Muñoz, J. M. Munoz, A. Rico, A. Tapia

    Journal Physical Review D 107, 036008

  9. 2023

    Retrieval of Boost Invariant Symbolic Observables via Feature Importance

    J. M. Munoz, I. Batatia, C. Ortner, F. Romeo

    Proceedings J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. (ACAT 2022)

  10. 2022

    BIP: Boost Invariant Polynomials for Efficient Jet Tagging

    J. M. Munoz, I. Batatia, C. Ortner

    Journal Machine Learning: Science and Technology

  11. 2022
  12. 2021

    Nowcasting Economic Activity from Google Trends: a Deep Learning Approach in Post-Pandemic Times

    J. A. Botero, A. F. García, J. M. Munoz, D. F. Montañez-Herrera

    Preprint Working paper

  13. 2021

    El Universo Algebráico (The Algebraic Universe)

    J. M. Munoz, E. Vásquez

    Book Escuela de Ingeniería de Antioquia · ISBN


03

Experience

2023–present

Graduate Researcher

MIT, Laboratory of Exotic Molecules and Atoms · Cambridge, USA

Built Bayesian, multi-fidelity emulators for ab initio nuclear structure (VS-IMSRG) with full uncertainty quantification. Bayesian calibration and Shapley sensitivity of chiral EFT couplings. First laser-spectroscopy measurements of charge radii near the proton drip line. Large-scale calculations on HPC (SubMIT, ORNL); DAQ design and radioactive-molecule experiments with Harvard and Caltech.

2025

Generative models for finance

Research collaboration (academia and industry)

Constrained diffusion models for synthetic financial tabular data, with collaborators across academia and industry. Published at ACM ICAIF ’25.

2022–2023

Researcher, CMS Collaboration

CERN, Vanderbilt University · Geneva / Nashville

b-tagging and anomaly detection for the luminosity detectors; data pipelines for the BRIL system. Beyond-Standard-Model dark-matter studies at the LHC.

2022

Research Intern (Mitacs)

University of British Columbia · Vancouver, Canada

Atomic Cluster Expansion methods and symmetry-conserving models, including representations for non-compact groups.

2019–2022

Research Assistant

EIA University, Universidad de Medellín · Colombia

Neutrino oscillation phenomenology at DUNE and scalar dark-matter models. Geometric methods for particle reconstruction; physics-informed solvers for the Schrödinger equation.


04

Building

Co-founder · Colombia

Qualia

A nonprofit working to make technology and science education accessible to more people.

Co-founder · Colombia

Deita Tech

A data and AI company building analytics and decision tools.


05

Education

2023–present

PhD in Physics

Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Cambridge, USA

Laboratory of Exotic Molecules and Atoms. Advisor: Ronald F. García Ruiz. Nuclear structure across theory, computation, and precision laser spectroscopy at FRIB.

2019–2023

BSc in Physics, with Honors

EIA University · Envigado, Colombia

GPA 4.9 / 5.0, top of class.

2017–2018

Diploma in Astrophysics

Universidad de Antioquia · Medellín, Colombia


06

Skills

Nuclear theory
VS-IMSRG, coupled cluster, shell-model diagonalization, chiral EFT and LEC calibration.
Statistics & methods
Bayesian inference and neural networks, multi-fidelity emulation, uncertainty quantification, Bayesian optimization, symbolic regression, equivariant networks, diffusion and generative models, interpretability and alignment, econometrics.
Computing
PyTorch, JAX, C++, Python, large-scale HPC.
Experiment
Laser spectroscopy, DAQ design, radioactive-beam techniques at FRIB.
Languages
English (fluent), Spanish (native).

07

Talks & seminars

  • INT Workshop “Nuclear Hamiltonians for Advancing Nuclear Physics and Beyond”

    Invited · Institute for Nuclear Theory, Seattle · 2026

  • Physics Department Colloquium

    Colloquium · MIT · 2025

  • Nuclear & Particle Physics Seminar

    Seminar · University of Vienna · 2025

  • PAINT 2025

    Oral · University of British Columbia · 2025

  • ACAT 2025

    Oral · Hamburg, Germany · 2025

  • High Energy Seminar

    Seminar · University of Florida · 2024

  • Ab Initio Nuclear Theory

    Seminar · TRIUMF, Vancouver · 2024

  • DNP Meeting

    Oral · APS Division of Nuclear Physics · 2024

  • IAIFI Seminar

    Seminar · MIT · 2024

  • AI4Physics

    Oral · University of Tokyo · 2024

08

Fellowships & honors

2024–26
  • Henry Kendall Fellowship, MIT
2023
  • Lauren Fellowship, MIT
  • Academic Excellence Award (top of class), EIA University
2022
  • CERN Summer Student Programme
  • Mitacs Scholarship, UBC
  • Erasmus+ Fellowship
2017–18
  • First Place, Colombian Physics Olympiad
  • Honourable Mention, International Olympiad on Astronomy & Astrophysics (Beijing)
09

Code