Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) is a multi-disciplinary research institute located in Villigen, Switzerland. It was founded in 1952 as the Swiss Institute for Nuclear Research (SIN), and renamed after its first director, Paul Scherrer, in 1984. PSI is affiliated with both the ETH Zurich and the EPFL.
PSI’s main research areas are: condensed matter physics; materials science; energy & environment; life sciences; and particle physics & astroparticle physics. PSI scientists conduct basic research in order to understand natural phenomena at the atomic and subatomic level, as well as applied research to develop new technologies with specific applications.
The institute operates several large facilities that are used by researchers from around the world, including the Swiss Light Source (SLS), a synchrotron light source that produces intense beams of X-rays and ultraviolet radiation; the Proton Computed Tomography facility (PCT), which allows for non-invasive imaging of cancerous tumors; and various neutron scattering facilities. In addition, PSI runs two accelerator laboratories: one for heavy ions, and one for protons. These accelerators are used to generate high-energy particle beams that can be used for a variety of scientific experiments.
PSI has a long history of collaboration with industry, and has spun off several companies that commercialize technologies developed at the institute. PSI scientists have also been involved in several Nobel Prize-winning discoveries, most notably the discovery of neutrino oscillations by Takaaki Kajita and Arthur B. McDonald in 1998.