While most physics researchers foresee a career in either academia or industry, a few find themselves using their research experience in a less typical fashion. One of those individuals is Aaron Leanhardt, a former JILA alumnus of JILA and NIST Fellow Eric Cornell's group, who has joined the New York Yankees' as the team's chief analyst.
Cornell remembers Leanhardt's contributions as a postdoc at JILA fondly, remarking that Leanhardt was "a founding member of JILA's eEDM project" in the early to mid 2000s. Cornell's eEDM project, which is still ongoing, studies the asymmetry of the electron, seeing if it's more oval shaped than spherical.
"This oblongey-ness is a kind of asymmetry: a perfect sphere is one of the most symmetrical objects possible," the Cornell group website states, "You can turn it any way you like and it always looks the same. An egg, on the other hand, betrays its orientation quickly; one can easily tell if it’s one way up vs the other. If the electron were oblong, it too would be asymmetric. The potential asymmetry of the electron would reflect a deep asymmetry in our universe and help us to understand why, in essence, we are here. We are working to measure this asymmetry."
After leaving JILA, Leanhardt transitioned to the University of Michigan, where he taught physics for several years. In 2017, Leanhardt transitioned from physics to baseball, working as an assistant, hitting coach, and recruiter before the New York Yankees hired him in 2018.
In his new role, Leanhardt is tasked with distilling complex data into actionable insights, ensuring players receive tailored information that enhances their performance on the field. His approach, prioritizing relevant metrics and translating them into practical strategies, has garnered praise from key figures, including Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, who expressed excitement about Leanhardt's ability to effectively conduit between the analytics team and the players.
While those at JILA remember Leanhardt's contributions to the inquiry of spherical vs. egg-shaped electrons, his current work studying the spheres of baseballs shows just how universal the applications of physics truly are, including in sports.
Written by Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, JILA Science Communicator