Undergraduate Research Mentors

The physics faculty listed below are interested in involving undergraduates in their research activities.  Students who wish to engage in research should check out the web pages of the faculty who are working in areas they find interesting.  Faculty members can be contacted by e-mail to arrange an appointment to discuss the possibilities.

It is possible to get academic credit for undergraduate research activities by registering for PHY 498 Undergraduate Research. Credit can also be obtained by doing a Senior Thesis and registering for PHY 497 Honors. A Senior Thesis is a necessary requirement for graduating with departmental honors. Some research activities may lead to part-time employment during the academic year, or full-time employment during the summer months.

• Professor John Cerne

  Experimental condensed matter physics

  Dr. Cerne studies novel materials using magneto-polarimetry. The undergraduate projects typically involve building electronic, optical, or mechanical systems for improving old or making new measurements. These instruments are then tested and used by the students for measurements. Students also participate in new measurements, which can lead to a senior thesis. Students should have an interest and motivation to do experimental research.

  jcerne@nsm.buffalo.edu
  http://www.physics.buffalo.edu/faculty/JCerne.html

• Professor Michael Fuda

  Theoretical intermediate energy physics

  Professor Fuda works on the relativistic quantum mechanics of few-particle systems, with emphasis on the pion-nucleon and nucleon-nucleon systems.

  fuda@buffalo.edu
  http://www.physics.buffalo.edu/faculty/MFuda.html

• Professor Shigeji Fujita

  Theoretical condensed matter physics

  The projects are in the area of the quantum theory of solids.  Students should have a background in classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, and electromagnetism at the undergraduate level.

  fujita@buffalo.edu
  http://www.physics.buffalo.edu/faculty/SFujita.html

• Professor Francis Gasparini

  Experimental low temperature physics

  Professor Gasparini is interested in taking on undergraduate majors during the summer.  His research involves studying quantum fluids (3He and 4He), in particular their phase transitions in a variety of environments.

  fmg@buffalo.edu
  http://www.physics.buffalo.edu/faculty/FGasparini.html

• Professor Richard Gonsalves

  Theoretical high energy and computational physics

  Professor Gonsalves is interested in mentoring undergraduate research projects on Feynman diagram calculations in quantum field theories, or computer simulations of complex systems in many areas of physics. A strong math background is helpful, and you must enjoy computer programming.

  phygons@buffalo.edu
  http://www.physics.buffalo.edu/faculty/RGonsalves.html

• Professor Jong Han

  Theoretical condensed matter physics

  Professor Han's main research topics are modeling of quantum many-body effects in electronic devices and strongly correlated systems, and simulation of magnetic behavior in nanoscale magnets.

  jonghan@buffalo.edu
  http://www.physics.buffalo.edu/faculty/JHan.html

• Professors Avto Kharchilava and Ia Iashvili

  Experimental high energy physics

  Professors Kharchilava and Iashvili work on the D0 experiment ( http://www-d0.fnal.gov/ ) at Fermilab, near Chicago, and the CMS experiment ( http://cmsdoc.cern.ch/cms/outreach/html/ ) at CERN, near Geneva, Switzerland. Both experiments are designed to study properties of fundamental particles, interactions between them, as well as to search for new phenomena.  Students should be able to program in C++ and have a basic knowledge of UNIX/Linux systems.

  avto@physics.buffalo.edu
  iashvili@fnal.gov

  http://www.physics.buffalo.edu/faculty/AKharchilava.html
  http://www.physics.buffalo.edu/faculty/IIashvili.html

• Professor Will Kinney

  Theoretical astrophysics and cosmology

  Professor Kinney works at the interface between particle physics and astrophysics as it applies to the universe immediately after the Big Bang.

  whkinney@buffalo.edu
  http://www.physics.buffalo.edu/faculty/WKinney.html

• Professor Y.C. Lee

  Theoretical physics

  Professor Lee works in condensed matter physics, quantum optics, and plasma physics.

  phyyclee@buffalo.edu
  http://www.physics.buffalo.edu/faculty/YCLee.html

• Professor Hong Luo

  Experimental condensed matter physics

  Professor Luo studies spin-related effects in semiconductors, and fabricates and studies semiconductor nanostructures.

  luo@buffalo.edu
  http://www.physics.buffalo.edu/faculty/HLuo.html

• Professor Andrea Markelz

  Experimental biophysics and condensed matter physics

  Professor Markelz uses terahertz and ultra fast laser techniques to probe collective vibrational mode response in biological molecules, and carrier and phonon dynamics in solid state systems.

  amarkelz@nsm.buffalo.edu
  http://www.physics.buffalo.edu/faculty/AMarkelz.html

• Professor Athos Petrou

  Experimental condensed matter physics

  Professor Petrou studies semiconductor nanostructures using spectroscopic techniques (reflectance, photoluminescence, electroluminescence,and Raman spectroscopies)in the visible and near infrared.  His main research effort concentrates on injection of spin polarized electrons from ferromagnetic metals into quantum wells and quantum dots, as well as electron spin manipulation in devices.

  petrou@buffalo.edu
  http://www.physics.buffalo.edu/faculty/APetrou.html

• Professor Arnd Pralle

  Experimental biophysics

  Professor Pralle uses laser tweezers to study protein mechanics and membrane structur, magnetic nanoparticles to remotely control protein function and optical microscopy to quantify and model cellular organization.

  apralle@buffalo.edu
  http://www.physics.buffalo.edu/faculty/APralle.html
  http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~apralle/

• Professor Surajit Sen

  Theoretical physics

  Professor Sen works on nonlinear phenomena in systems with many degrees of freedom.  His projects concern dust dynamics, shock absorption, and solitons.

  sen@dynamics.physics.buffalo.edu
  http://www.physics.buffalo.edu/~sen/

• Professor Doreen Wackeroth

  Theoretical particle physics

  Professor Wackeroth is interested in offering independent study in particle physics. Her research aims to confront and challenge our understanding of the fundamental forces of nature and the mechanism of mass generation at the quantum level through precision experiments.

  dow@ubpheno.physics.buffalo.edu
  http://www.physics.buffalo.edu/faculty/DWackeroth.html

• Professor Bernie Weinstein

  Experimental condensed matter physics

  Professor Weinstein is interested in taking on undergraduate majors for projects during the summer or school year.  His research involves studying the optical and high pressure properties of semiconductors.  Students will engage in various spectroscopy experiments, and learn about using high pressure diamond-anvil cells.

  phyberni@buffalo.edu
  http://www.physics.buffalo.edu/faculty/BWeinstein.html

• Professor Hao Zeng

  Experimental condensed matter physics

  Professor Zeng's research interest is in synthesis of nanoscale magnetic materials, nanodevice fabrication for electron transport studies, magnetic and magnetotransport characterizations.  Students who are interested in nanoscience and nanotechnology and are motivated to learn are encouraged to apply. Students with basic knowledge of chemistry and/or programming skills are especially welcome.

  haozeng@buffalo.edu
  http://www.physics.buffalo.edu/faculty/HZeng.html

• Professor Peihong Zhang

  Theoretical condensed matter physics

  Professor Zhang's long-term research objectives are unified around the theme of understanding and predicting materials properties from first principles, with emphases on nanostructured and other novel materials, computational materials design, and development of new theoretical and computational techniques.

  pzhang3@buffalo.edu
  http://www.physics.buffalo.edu/faculty/PZhang.html