Research interests and experiences

By training, I am an experimental condensed matter physics, with an interest in correlated electron systems. More recently, I’ve been involved with educational research and the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Scholarship of teaching and learning

Currently, much of my research is focused on approaches to supporting student quantitative skills development as described on the page about my educational development interests and experiences. I have also been engaged in scholarship related to the advanced lab curriculum development that I describe on the page about my teaching interests and experiences.

Condensed matter physics research

Previously, most of my research focused on the growth of single crystal and thin film correlated electron materials and characterizing the transport and magnetization responses of these materials. In correlated electron materials, the interactions of conduction electrons with each other and with local magnetic moments are significant and produce ground states that exhibit interesting electronic and magnetic properties. My research interests include:

  • Understanding how growth methods impact the resistance and magnetization response of Eu-rich EuO thin films, a material of interest for potential spintronics applications and its CMR behavior.  
  • Comparing the Eu-rich EuO transport and magnetization responses with those of the manganites to gain a broader perspective on CMR materials. In particular, searching for time-dependent resistance responses and hierarchical effects in magnetization and transport measurements of Eu-rich EuO, phenomena seen in the manganites and attributed to phase separation.  
  • Field effect modulation of correlated electron materials. 
Photo an ultra-high vacuum chamber with many ports that have instrumentation such as a wobble stick and a residual gas analyzer connected to them.
Ultra-high vacuum chamber used for the growth of Eu-rich EuO.