Faculty Research Interests
The Physics faculty have students working with them. If you are interested, please contact the faculty directly.
Mary Alberg, Professor of Physics [hired 1979; PhD U. of Washington (Physics)]
Theoretical nuclear physics, especially quarks and gluons in protons, neutrons, and mesons. Mary’s research is supported by NSF grants and involves SU physics majors (especially work involving comparison of parton models with experimental data from the Jefferson National laboratory). Mary also collaborates with UW colleagues.
David Boness, Professor of Physics [hired 1990; PhD U. of Washington (Geophysics)]
Experimental and computational geophysics. Most of David’s research has involved Earth materials under extreme pressure, both experimentally and computationally. David has taken condensed matter physics data at Los Alamos National laboratory and at the Australian National University. He has also collaborated on a biological physics experiment at UW. Lately, he has worked with SU physics majors on the problem of optical properties of atmospheric aerosol particles.
Jeffery Brown, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Physics [hired 2004; PhD U. of Texas, (Astronomy)]
Computational epidemiology and cancer statistical analysis, particularly of ovarian cancer. Jeff came to us as a researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Previously Jeff did research in stellar spectroscopy as an assistant professor of astronomy at Washington State University.
Paul Fontana, Associate Professor of Physics [hired 2002; PhD U. of Wisconsin (Physics)]
Experimental fluid dynamics. Paul transitioned from a plasma physics PhD to setting up a 2D fluid turbulence lab from scratch at SU. This lab has a novel design, with a large rotating annulus for studying thin soap solution films with laser velocimetry probes. He has been funded by the NSF, Research Corporation, and The M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust. Several students have worked in Paul’s lab.
Joanne Hughes-Clark, Associate Professor of Physics [hired 2004; PhD U. of London (Astrophysics)]
Observational astronomy of globular clusters and dwarf galaxies. Joanne has telescope time at large telescopes around the world in order to study the characteristics of stars in globular clusters and to study elemental composition of nearby dwarf galaxies. SU Physics majors analyze the data and learn astronomical research techniques.
Woo-Joong Andy Kim, Assistant Professor of Physics [hired 2009; PhD Dartmouth College (Physics)]
Quantum vacuum - matter interaction experimental physics. Andy started at SU in fall 2009 after finishing his post-doctoral appointment in experimental physics at Yale University. Andy's experimental work involves sensitive measurements of the Casimir force and of quantum conductance of nanowires.
Michael Morgan, Associate Professor of Physics [hired 1984; PhD U. of Washington (Physics)]
Michael's areas of research interest include adiabatic dynamics, classical and quantum chaos, turbulence, and optics.