Faculty

Joshua Berger / Assistant Professor
Phone: (970) 491-5680

My research focuses on developing and understanding models of particle physics beyond the Standard Model. Although the Standard Model is extremely successful in describing particle physics data so far, it cannot account for phenomena such as the existence of dark matter, neutrino mass, and an excess of matter over anti-matter in the universe. My group performs calculations and simulations leading to concrete predictions of Standard Model extensions that address these and other puzzles. We also work closely with experimental groups to turn these predictions into searches at current and near future experiments.

Richard Bradley / Professor / Preferred Name: Mark Bradley 
Phone: (970) 491-5735
Office: Engineering D215

My research centers on the nanoscale patterns that develop spontaneously when a solid surface is bombarded with a broad ion beam. These patterns include ordered arrays of nanodots and surface ripples with wavelengths as short as 10 nm. From a more mathematical standpoint, I study self-organization in systems driven far from equilibrium as well as solitons and shockwaves.

Samuel Brewer / Assistant Professor
Phone: (970) 491-6647

My research focus is on high-precision laser spectroscopy of trapped highly charged ions for tests of fundamental physics. Highly charged ions provide a unique platform for investigating physics beyond the standard model including tests of quantum electrodynamics and searches for time-variation of the fundamental constants. We plan to combine techniques developed for quantum information processing and ion optical clocks with compact ion sources to create, trap, cool, and interrogate highly charged ions.

Kristen Buchanan / Professor
Phone: (970) 491-5424
Office: Engineering D219

My research explores lateral confinement and coupling effects in nanomagnets through both experimental investigations and numerical modeling. In addition to being an exciting subject of study from a fundamental perspective, nanomagnets are also important for the advancement of technology, for example, in spintronics devices, storage media, and for medical applications. My present work focuses on the magnetization reversal and spin excitations of patterned magnetic elements.

Norm Buchanan / Professor
Phone: (970) 491-6192
Office: Engineering D121

My research interests are focused on high-energy (particle) physics, specifically related to neutrino physics and particle astrophysics. My group is involved in the measurement of neutrino interactions with the NOvA experiment as well as detector development and computing projects for DUNE. I also have a strong interest in high-performance computing in high-energy physics and I am a member of the SciDAC4 HEP Data Analytics Collaboration.

Hua Chen / Associate Professor
Phone: (970) 491-1548
Office: Engineering D201

We are a theoretical group interested in a broad range of topics in condensed matter and materials physics, in particular novel spin-orbit coupling effects in magnetism, superconductivity, and topological phenomena.

Richard Eykholt / Associate Professor
Phone: (970) 491-7366
Office: Engineering D103

My research has been in theoretical and mathematical physics, and its main focus has been on chaos and nonlinear dynamics. On the more formal side, I have developed new tools for analyzing nonlinear systems. On the more applied side, I have collaborated on research in atmospheric science, particularly with regard to predictability, spin waves in magnetic systems, and hydrology and streamflows.

William Fairbank Jr / Professor
Phone: (970) 491-6660
Office: Engineering D117

Stuart Field / Associate Professor
Phone: (970) 491-3773
Office: Engineering D221

My research is in the area of superconductivity, with a special emphasis on direct imaging of superconducting vortices and allied phenomena. Using scanning Hall probe microscopy, we are currently studying the dynamics of vortices in superconducting films that have an artificially structured periodic thickness modulation. We are also investigating phase-slip events in superconducting nanowire, again using imaging techniques to understand the relationship between local phase-slip dynamics and the microstructure of the wires.

Julia Gehrlein / Assistant Professor
Phone: (970) 491-8265
Office: Engineering D213

My research is in theoretical particle physics and my studies center around the most elusive particles of the Universe, neutrinos. My group works on developing new models which can answer the open questions of the Standard Model of particle physics. We furthermore derive predictions for current and upcoming experiments to probe these models to understand how nature works at the most fundamental level.

Martin Gelfand / Associate Professor
Phone: (970) 491-5263
Office: Engineering D217

Emily Hardegree-Ullman / Associate Professor
Phone: (970) 491-0177
Office: NESB A319

My focus is on astronomy and physics education. I teach introductory courses and engage the community with public outreach events sponsored by the Madison-Macdonald Observatory.

John Harton / Professor
Phone: (970) 491-6372
Office: Engineering D203

My research is fully focused on DUNE (the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment), which utilizes a neutrino beam produced at Fermilab, near Chicago. That beam will be characterized at Fermilab using the Near Detector, and the beam continues on to SURF (the Sanford Underground Research Facility) in South Dakota where a much larger detector, the Far Detector, will also measure neutrino interactions. I am currently working with colleagues at CSU to bring up a small prototype of the Near Detector. My physics interests on DUNE are in ideas of outside of the Standard Model of particle physics, including the possibility that dark matter could be produced in the neutrino beam at Fermilab along with the neutrinos.

William Jay / Assistant Professor
Phone: (970) 491-0189

My research is in theoretical high energy physics, usually with an emphasis on computational techniques. I am especially interested in quantum chromodynamics (the theory describing how quarks and gluons bind together to form particles like protons and neutrons) and neutrino-nucleus scattering.

Yulia Maximenko / Assistant Professor/ she/they
Phone: (970) 491-0178
Office: Engineering D107

In my research, I use scanning probe microscopy, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), and device nanofabrication to create exotic solid-state platforms and investigate the emergent quantum phases with atomic resolution at ultralow temperatures. This research is motivated by pushing the fundamental understanding and limits of many-body quantum effects as much as by the search of novel electromagnetic properties directly applicable in device engineering.

Michael Mooney / Associate Professor
Phone: (970) 491-5870
Office: Engineering D105

My research has been focused on understanding how to utilize the LArTPC (Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber) technology for precision neutrino physics, with an emphasis on detector calibration and R&D of cryogenic electronics. I am participating in several LArTPC accelerator neutrino experiments, namely MicroBooNE (Micro Booster Neutrino Experiment), the SBN (Short-Baseline Neutrino) program, and DUNE (Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment), all of which utilize neutrino beams produced at Fermilab near Chicago, Illinois. The physics goals of these experiments include searching for a hypothetical particle known as a "sterile neutrino" and determining if neutrinos are responsible for the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe.

Jacob Roberts / Professor and Interim Dean of the College of Natural Sciences
Phone: (970) 491-0578
Office: Statistics Building 117

I have two areas of research interest. We are conducting experiments measuring fundamental plasma properties such as electron-ion collisions in strongly coupled and strongly magnetized ultracold plasmas. In a separate project, we are measuring the time-dependent absorption and birefringent response of atoms in an utracold gas to sudden laser illumination that occurs on timescales short compared to the atoms' response time.

Christian Sanner / Assistant Professor
Phone: (970) 491-5370
Office: Engineering D207

The research in my group is located at the intersection between three frontiers in experimental atomic physics: Optical precision spectroscopy, quantum simulation, and light-matter interfacing. Our experimental platform is a system of laser-cooled ytterbium ions which are optically interrogated on a highly forbidden electric octupole transition. We are developing novel quantum sensors for low-energy tests of fundamental physics and we want to explore new regimes of collective atom-photon coupling.

James Sites / Professor
Phone: (970) 491-5829
Office: Engineering AR119

My research focus is on polycrystalline thin-film solar cells, primarily CdTe-based cells fabricated at CSU. Ares of particular interest are the relationship of electronic band structure to photovoltaic efficiency, the effect of defects at interfaces and grain boundaries, and the optics of multilayer solar cells.

Sarah Stephens / Assistant Professor
Phone: (970) 491-0206
Office: Engineering D103

My background is in physics education research and my passion is teaching physics. I teach introductory physics classes and advise physics students. When I’m not thinking about physics, I’m chasing after my two kiddos, Seth and Naomi.

Robert Wilson / Professor
Phone: (970) 491-5033
Office: Engineering D205

My current research interest is experimental neutrino physics including a search for sterile neutrinos, which cannot be produced or detected by any interaction but only come into being through a quantum mixing phenomenon. I enjoy teaching and exploring new methodologies such as the use of electronic response systems in the classroom and tutorial style homework problems.

Dylan Yost / Associate Professor
Phone: (970) 491-7751
Office: Engineering D119

My research focus is on precision spectroscopy of atomic hydrogen. Generally speaking, such experiments help determine the Rydberg constant, stringently test QED, and measure the RMS charge radius of the proton and deuteron. My group is particularly focused on new techniques to control the velocity of hydrogen, which we hope will lead to decreases in measurement uncertainty.

Emeritus Faculty

Roger Culver / Professor Emeritus

Sanford Kern / Professor Emeritus

Siu Au Lee / Professor Emeritus
Office: Engineering D109

Carl Patton / Professor Emeritus
Phone: (970) 581-6710
Office: Engineering AR 128

Chiaoyao She / Professor

My research is often interdisciplinary and involves laser light scattering spectroscopy. My recent emphasis is on atmospheric parameter measurements via laser light scattering from atmospheric atoms (Na, K and Fe) and linear molecules (N2, O2, and CO2).

Walter Toki / Professor

My research is with the T2K neutrino experiment in Japan that first observed the muon type neutrino oscillation into the electron type neutrino. Our CSU group members designed, built and operated neutrino detectors, analyzed T2K data and published neutrino and antineutrino cross sections. Currently, the T2K collaboration is studying antineutrino oscillations that indicate charge-parity (CP) violation.

Affiliate Faculty

Link to our affiliate faculty page.

Staff

Raina Doyle / Admin Assistant II
Phone: (970) 491-6206

Nikola Durand / Research Associate I

Jay Jablonski / Research Associate III
Phone: (970) 491-6030
Office: Engineering 28

Patrick Lindsell / Video Production Coordinator
Office: NESB B333

Krysta Loeser / Financial Accounting Manager (Mathematics and Physics)
Phone: (970) 491-2886
Office: Engineering 124

Kenneth Lonnquist / Lab Coordinator
Phone: (970) 491-5131
Office: Engineering AR 209

Kristin McLaughlin / Office Manager
Phone: (970) 491-7948

Heather Michalak / Little Shop of Physics Director
Phone: (970) 491-6282
Office: NESB B337

Adam Pearlstein / Little Shop of Physics Assistant Director and Physics Instructor
Phone: (970) 205-9302

Zach Rautio / Research Associate II

Lenelle Wallace / Graduate Program Coordinator
Phone: (970) 491-6207
Office: Engineering AR 124

David Warner / Research Associate IV
Phone: (970) 491-1035
Office: Engineering E10A

Research Staff

Ivan Caro Terrazas / Postdoctoral Fellow - Experimental Neutrino Physics

Jen Drayton / Research Associate III
Phone: (970) 491-6553

Ishwor Khatri / Research Scientist in Photovoltaics

Aung Naing / Postdoctoral Fellow in Ion Trapping Group

Laxman Sharma Paudel / Postdoctoral Fellow - Experimental Particle Physics

Anil Thapa / Postdoctoral Fellow

My interests are in theoretical/phenomenological high energy physics. The past and current research includes (a) neutrino physics, (b) flavor physics, (c) Higgs physics, (d) dark matter, (e) baryogenesis, and (f) grand unification. The emphasis is on model building as well as the implications of the new physics for ongoing and future experiments. List of Publications: https://inspirehep.net/authors/1789376

Ana Paula Vizcaya Hernandez / Postdoctoral Fellow N. Buchanan's lab

Graduate Students

Rabeya Alam / Graduate Assistant

Christopher Ard / Graduate Assistant

Reaz Bhuiyan / Graduate Assistant

Jacob Boza / Graduate Assistant

Ryan Bullis / Graduate Assistant

Lia Compton / Graduate Assistant

Tim Delazzer / Graduate Assistant

Bibek Dhakal / Graduate Assistant

Haoran Ding / Graduate Assistant

Jamie Dyer / Graduate Assistant

Makoto Endo / Graduate Assistant

Sam Fogarty / Graduate Assistant

Evan Folk / Graduate Assistant

Perry Hurd / Graduate Assistant

Alec Iverson / Graduate Assistant

Ryan LaZur / Graduate Assistant

Nick Lehnerz / Graduate Assistant

Mark Lide / Graduate Assistant

Joey Maguire / Graduate Assistant

Zach Orr / Graduate Assistant

Reece Rupp / Graduate Assistant

Josiah Shaw / Graduate Assistant

Mari Todd / Graduate Assistant

Noah Vardy / Graduate Assistant

Mark Watkins / Graduate Assistant

Luke Wernert / Graduate Assistant

Adam Whitney / Graduate Assistant

Kaixin Zhu / Graduate Assistant