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Since 1868, only four women have been awarded the Matteucci Medal, an Italian award that recognizes physicists around the world. Helen Quinn, a Portola Valley resident, is the latest winner.
Born in Melbourne, Australia, Quinn moved to the United States with her family during her third year of college and transferred to Stanford University. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in physics in 1963 and got a Ph.D. in 1967.
Her work in theoretical particle physics is now recognized along with other notable physicists including Marie Curie and Albert Einstein.
“It feels a little bit as if I’m getting more than my share of recognition, as compensation for the fact that lots of women didn’t get the recognition they deserve,” said Quinn.
Women who won the Matteucci Medal in the past were awarded with their husbands. It wasn’t until 2022 when female physicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell was awarded and acknowledged for her work as an individual.
Many of Quinn’s accomplishments were made by being “in the right place at the right time,” she said. She got her Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University when the “fraction of Ph.D.s in physics gone to women in the United States was 2%.”
Quinn recalls being one of the only women in her classes but says growing up with three brothers helped her “manage to hold” her own in predominantly male spaces.
With her success in the field of particle physics, it might be surprising to learn that Quinn had initially entered college with the goal of becoming a meteorologist.
When she transferred to Stanford, she had three years of college credit, no major and didn’t see meteorology as an option. With the courses she transferred, her choice to major in physics was merely made by the fact that it “was the easiest major to complete.” In 1963 she graduated with her bachelor’s degree in physics.
During this time the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center was being built and many people including Quinn were excited about what it could do. She was encouraged to apply for graduate school and got accepted into Stanford to continue her education and obtain her Ph.D. in physics in 1967.
In the years after, she worked at Harvard University, originated the Peccei–Quinn theory, worked as a professor at SLAC, became a member of the National Academy of Sciences, led a study on changes to K-12 science education and more.
In recent years axions, a consequence of the Peccei-Quinn theory, have been getting a lot of attention as a candidate particle for dark matter. This theory was written by Quinn and physicist Roberto Peccei in 1977, nearly 50 years ago. Dark matter is an invisible substance that makes up about 85% of total matter in the universe and is important to the formation of galaxies.
“The work is getting many more citations today than it ever did before and much more recognition,” said Quinn.
Through receiving awards and getting recognized with her work, Quinn feels “pleasure in the way that the work contributes to the field” and that some of her work has become a standard in physics textbooks.
“It was a great time to be doing particle physics and a lot was happening in the ’70s. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time … and then to get the recognition for it afterwards, it’s like the icing on the cake,” said Quinn.
Aside from making great contributions to science, Quinn has also dedicated her time to local government by serving on Portola Valley’s Trails and Paths Committee and Conservation Committee.
Quinn and her husband Dan Quinn raised two children in their home in Portola Valley Ranch. They are now empty-nesters living with their 1-year-old dog Bala and enjoying the nature of the town.
“We have always loved living in [Portola Valley] because we can walk out our door and there are trails in all directions and it’s beautiful,” said Quinn.
