Born and raised in Uruguay, Marina chose Physics for her Undergraduate and Master’s studies at the University of the Republic. Her Master’s thesis targeted the phenomenological description of proton-proton scattering. A significant fraction of proton collision outcomes stem from diffractive interactions that cannot be predicted using standard perturbative methods. A successful phenomenological approach describes these interactions in terms of the exchange of Regge states, such as the Pomeron and the Odderon. Her work consisted of exploring aspects of this model (such as unitarity) for the newest LHC data. After graduating in June 2023 she spent two months as a Summer Student at CERN.
Marina joined the Department of Physics of the University of Liverpool as a PhD student in 2023. Her project focuses on the possibilities of quantum computing as a vehicle for QCD simulation. In particular, it will address the quantum simulation of fermion scattering and applications relating to intermediate-term experiments such as DUNE. Part of her work will be carried out at the SQMS Center at Fermilab. There she will join experts working on developing qudit-based computing systems, as well as qubit-based algorithms for use in the sciences.