LaToya Anderson

From classical dance to physics, LaToya Anderson’s journey began in a chemistry course where she was introduced to the Schrödinger equation, igniting her fascination with quantum physics. She pivoted to physics where she joined the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP) and entered the NSBP-Simons Summer Scholars program, all while working as an environmental educator. As a Scholar and later Associate Research Analyst, her research focused on developing models to study the electronic structure of superatomic crystals, work that earned her the 2022 NSBP Best Student Oral Presentation Award and the 2024 APS Top Presenter Prize. With the mentorship and support of NSBP, TEAM-UP Together, and the Simons Foundation, she successfully earned her B.S. in physics in 2024. She is now a contractor for the MIT Lincoln Laboratory as a High-Performance Computing Research Facilitator, assisting researchers in optimizing computational resources for AI/ML research. In her plenary talk, LaToya will share her journey — from challenges to successes — highlighting how curiosity, intuition, and community propelled her from the dance stage to the world of quantum physics.