The Department of Physics includes seven research centers and three research groups. Click below to see the people associated with each group along with their respective research interests.
Research Centers
CENTER FOR COMPLEX QUANTUM SYSTEMS
CQS Home Page
CQS FACULTY
EDOARDO BALDINI
- Macroscopic quantum phenomena
- Quantum materials
- Light-matter interaction
- Nonequilibrium physics
- Ultrafast science
James chelikowsky
- Computational materials science
- Solid state physics
Alex de lozanne
- Scanning tunneling microscopy
- Atomic/magnetic force microscopy
- Nanostructures, thin films and devices
- High temperature superconductors
- Colossal Magnetoresistance materials
alex demkov
- Condensed matter theory
- Physics of electronic materials, surfaces and interfaces
- Thin films and devices
- Novel materials
- Quantum transport
- Materials Physics Lab
GREGORY A FIETE
- Condensed matter theory
- Strongly correlated electrons in lower dimensions
- Frustrated magnetism
- Exotic quantum states
- Quantum impurity problems
- Spintronics
- Correlated Quantum Matter Theory Group
FELICIANO GIUSTINO
- Condensed matter theory
- Computational materials science
- Many-body electronic structure calculations
- High-performance computing
daniel heinzen
- Ultracold and quantum degenerate gases
- Experimental quantum and atom optics
- Quantum information
nick hunter-jones
- Quantum information theory
- Quantum computing
- Quantum many-body physics
ESLAM KHALAF
- Condensed matter theory
- Topological materials
- Disorder and localization
- Moire materials
- Superconductivity
keji lai
- Experimental condensed matter physics
- Nanoscale electromagnetic imaging
- Complex oxides
- Nano-materials
- Transport in low-dimensional systems
Xiaoqin (elaine) li
- Ultrafast nonlinear spectroscopy in condensed matter
- Quantum dynamics and control in nanostructures
- Experimentalist
Allan Macdonald - director, center for complex quantum systems
- Condensed matter theory
john t markeRt
- Magnetism and Superconductivity Group
- Magnetism and superconductivity in oxides and heavy fermion systems
- High temperature superconductivity
- High pressure research
- Magnetic resonance microscopy
- Spin dynamics
- Magnetic domain dynamics
Mark Raizen
- Experimental atom optics
- Non-equilibrium thermodynamics
- Quantum-limited sensors
- Physics in medicine
Linda reichl - Co-director, center for complex quantum systems
- Quantum chaos
- Transport theory
- Nonlinear dynamics
- Nonequilibrium statistical physics
- Stochastic theory
chih-kang (ken) shih
- Nanoscale electronic materials
- Quantum engineering of metallic nanostructures
- Fundamental electronic processes in semiconductor quantum dots
- Nanoscale mechanical properties of soft matters
Maxim tsoi
- Condensed matter experiment
- Nanostructures
- Spintronics
Zhen Yao
- Nanostructures and mesoscopic physics
- Condensed matter
- Experimentalist
CQS RESEARCH STAFF/POST DOCS
tomio petrosky
- Senior research scientist
RETIRED/EMERITUS FACULTY
arno bohm
- Particle phenomena in terms of algebraic and group-theoretical methods
- Mathematics of quantum physics
Lothar frommhold (emeritus)
- Atomic and molecular physics
LEONARD KLEINMANN (EMERITUS)
- Density fluctional theory
- Pseudopotential theory
- Molecular dynamics
- Ab Initio calculations of the electronic, magnetic and physical properties of solids, surfaces, and liquids
CENTER FOR HIGH ENERGY DENSITY SCIENCE
CHEDS Home Page
Todd Ditmire - Director, Center for High Energy Density Science
- Intense ultrafast laser interactions
- AMO
- Experimentalist
SANDRA BRUCE - ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR HIGH ENERGY DENSITY SCIENCE
- Texas Petawatt Laser
- Optical Sciences
- Laser design and construction
michael downer
- Femtosecond spectroscopy in condensed matter and plasmas
- Surface nonlinear optics
- Plasma-based particle accelerators
Bjorn Hegelich
- Interaction of ultra-intense electromagnetic fields with matter
- High-energy density physics
- Laser-particle interaction
JOHN KETO
- Reactions and radiative processes of excited atoms, molecules and clusters
- Laser Spectroscopy and Nanoparticle Research
Hernan QUevedo
- high intensity laser plasma interaction
- magnetized plasmas
- experimentalist
RETIRED/EMERITUS FACULTY
roger bengston (emeritus)
- Experimental plasma physics
- Plasma spectroscopy
CENTER FOR NONLINEAR DYNAMICS
CNLD Home Page
JOSE ALVARADO
- Active matter
- Actomyosin contraction
- Stokes flows
- Fluid-structure interaction
- Physical model systems
Ernst-ludwig Florin
- Experimental biophysics/cell physics
- Membranes
- Biopolymers
- Cell mechanics
- Single molecules
WILLIAM GILPIN
- Nonlinear dynamics & chaos
- Data-driven modeling & statistical learning
- Mathematical biology
- Complex fluid flows & pattern formation
- Signal processing and control theory
Vernita Gordon
- Experimental biophysics
- Mechanosensing and mechanobiology in bacteria
- Mechanics of bacterial biofilms
- Mechanics and the immune system
- Spatial structure in multicellular bacterial systems
MICHAEL MARDER - DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR NONLINEAR DYNAMICS
- Condensed matter physics
- Energy future
- STEM education and ethics
- Nonlinear dynamics, especially the dynamics of fracture
- Transport in highly inhomogeneous media
- Phase transitions
RETIRED/EMERITUS FACULTY
jack swift (emeritus)
- Theoretical studies of phase transitions in liquid crystsals
- Nonlinear dynamics
- Instability and pattern formation
- Chaos
- Phases transitions
Harry swinney (Emeritus)
- Nonlinear dynamics
- Instabilities and pattern formation
- Chaos
- Phase transitions
CENTER FOR PARTICLES AND FIELDS
CPF Home Page
TIMOTHY ANDEEN
- Experimental investigation of electroweak symmetry breaking and searches for new particles and interactions
- Computing with large datasets of structured data
Scott kravitz
- Dark matter direct detection
- Machine learning for particle physics
- Particle detector R&D
Karol Lang
- Experimental high energy physics
- Neutrino oscillations and interactions
- Neutrinoless double beta decays
- Rare processes
- Particle detectors
- Nuclear medical imaging
Christina Markert
- Relativistic heavy ion physics
Peter Onyisi
- Experimental investigation of electroweak symmetry breaking and searches for new particles and interactions
- Computing with large datasets of structured data
RETIRED/EMERITUS FACULTY
Arno BohM (EMeritus)
- Particle phenomena in terms of algebraic and group-theoretical methods
- Mathematics of quantum physics
Charles Chiu (emeritus)
- Theoretical particle physics
- Stucture of hadrons
- Phenomenology in high energy collision phenomena
- Laser-plasma physics
- Acoustic agglomeration
jack ritchie (Emeritus)
- Experimental high energy physics
- Rare decays
INSTITUTE FOR FUSION STUDIES
IFS Home Page
richard fitzpatrick
- Magnetohydrodynamic stability
- Hydrodynamic stability
- Driven magnetic reconnection
- Momentum injection into fluids/plasmas via external perturbations
Kenneth Gentle
- Plasma confinement and heating
Philip Morrison
- Basic and applied plasma dynamics
- Hamiltonian dynamics of few and infinite degree-of-freedom systems
- Fluid mechanics
- Advanced compuational algorithms
- Mathematical Physics
ANNA TENERANI
- Plasma physics and Space Plasmas
francois L WAelbroeck - director, institute for fusion studies
- Plasma Physics
RETIRED/EMERITUS FACULTY
richard hazeltinE (EMERITUS)
- Plasma physics
wendell horton, jr (emeritus)
- Plasma physics
- Fusion devices and space plasma
- Nonlinear theory
Research Groups
ATOMIC, MOLECULAR AND OPTICAL PHYSICS
Todd Ditmire
- Intense Ultrafast Laser Interactions
- AMO
- Experimentalist
Mike Downer
- Fermtosecond spectroscopy in condensed matter and plasmas
- Surface nonlinear optics
- Plasma-based particle accelerators
Bjorn Hegelich
- Interaction of ultra-intense electromagnetic fields with matter
- High-energy density physics
- Laser-particle interaction
Daniel Heinzen
- Ultracold and quantum degenerate gases
- Experimental quantum and atom optics
- Quantum information
- Ultracold Atomic Physics Group
JOHN KETO
- Reactions and radiative processes of excited atoms, molecules and clusters
- Laser Spectroscopy and Nanoparticle Research
mark raizen
- Experimental atom optics
- Non-equilibrium thermodynamics
- Quantum-limited sensors
- Physics in Medicine
Greg sitz
- Experimental studies of the dynamics of gas-surface interactions
RETIRED/EMERITUS FACULTY
Lothar frommhold (emeritus)
- Atomic and Molecular Physics
CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
Condensed Matter Home Page
EDOARDO BALDINI
- Macroscopic quantum phenomena
- Quantum materials
- Light-matter interaction
- Nonequilibrium physics
- Ultrafast science
james chelikowsky
- Computational materials science
- Solid State Physics
- Center for Computational Materials
- Nanoscale imaging
- Materials informatics
- Computational algorithms (real-space org)
alex de lozanne
- Scanning tunneling microscopy
- Atomic/magnetic force microscopy
- Nanostructures
- Thin films and devices
- High temperature superconductors
- Colossal magnetoresistance materials
alex demkov
- Condensed matter theory
- Physics of electronic materials, surfaces and interfaces
- Thin films and devices
- Novel materials
- Quantum transport
- Atomic Design Group
Gregory A fiete
- Condensed matter theory
- Strongly correlated electrons in lower dimensions
- Frustrated Magnetism
- Exotic quantum states
- Quantum impurity problems
- Spintronics
- Correlated Quantum Matter Theory Group
FELICIANO GIUSTINO
- Computational condensed matter physics
- Computational materials design
- First-principles many-body calculations
- High-performance computing
- Center for Quantum Materials Engineering, http://cqme.org
ESLAM KHALAF
- Condensed matter theory
- Topological materials
- Disorder and localization
- Moire materials
- Superconductivity
keji lai
- Experimental condensed matter physics
- Nanoscale electromagnetic imaging
- Complex oxides
- Nanomaterials
- Transport in low-dimensional systems
- Surface acoustic waves
- Lai Lab
XIAOQIN (ELAINE) LI
- Ultrafast nonlinear spectroscopy in condensed matter
- Quantum dynamics and control in nanostructures
- Experimentalist
allan macdonald
- Condensed matter theory
- Electronic properties of semiconductors and metals
- Spintronics
- Magnetism
- Superconductivity
- Quantum Hall effect
- Solid State Quantum computing
- Condensed Matter Theory Group
john markert
- Magnetism and Superconductivity Group
- Magnetism and superconductivity in oxides and heavy fermion systems
- High temperature superconductivity
- High pressure research
- Magnetic resonance microscopy
- Spin dynamics
- Magnetic domain dynamics
chiH-kang (Ken) shih
- Nanoscale electronic materials
- Quantum engineering of metallic nanostructures
- Fundamental electronic processes in semiconductor quantum dots
- Nanoscale mechanical properties of soft matters
- Nanoelectronic Materials Research Group
Maxim tsoi
- Condensed matter experiment
- Nanostructures
- Spintronics
- Magnetism and Spintronics Group
zhen Yao
- Nanostructures and Mesoscopic physics
- Condensed matter
- Experimentalist
RETIRED/EMERITUS FACULTY
james erskine
- Experimental solid-state physics
- Thin film magnetism
- Surface physics
- Applications of synchrotron radiation
- Surface Physics Group
J. david gavenda (emeritus)
- Conduction electrons in metals using ultrasonic and electromagnetic waves
RELATIVISTIC HEAVY-ION PHYSICS
RHIP Home Page
rory coker
- Nuclear reaction theory
- Medium energy nuclear reactions and scattering
CHRISTINA MARKERT
- Relativistic heavy-ion physics
RETIRED/EMERITUS FACULTY
C fred moore - (emeritus)
- Relativistic heavy ion physics
Peter Riley (emeritus)
- Relativistic heavy ion physics
Weinberg Institute
CENTER FOR GRAVITATIONAL PHYSICS (CGP)
CGP Home Page
HSIN-YU CHEN
- Gravitational Waves
- Multi-messenger Astrophysics
- Black holes and neutron stars
- Post-Docs/Students
PABLO LAGUNA
- Tidal Disruption
- Numerical Relativity and Computational Astrophysics
- Gravitational Waves
- Black Holes and Neutron Star Binaries
- Post-Docs/Students
- Aycin Akutalp, Research Fellow
- Miguel Gracia Linares, Reseach Affiliate - Postdoctoral
- Nirmal Patel, URA
- Galina Bouyer, URA
RICHARD MATZNER
- General relativity and cosmology
- Kinetic theory
- Black hole physics
- Gravitational radiation
- Lead PI on the Binary Black Hole Grand Challenge Project
- Post-Docs/Students
DEIRDRE SHOEMAKER, Director, center for gravitational physics
- Black Hole Binary Systems
- Gravitational Waves
- Numerical Relativity
- Post-Docs/Students
- Deborah Ferguson, Postdoctoral Fellow
- Jacob Lange, Postdoctoral Fellow
AARON ZIMMERMAN
- Black Holes
- Gravitational Waves
- Numerical Relativity
- Post-Docs/Students
- Leanne Durkan, Research Fellow
THEORY GROUP (TG)
Theory Home Page
ELENA CACERES
- String theory
- Quantum gravity
- Holography
- Gauge/gravity duality
- Supergravity solutions
- Black holes
Jacques Distler
- High energy theory
- Mathematical physics
- String theory
willy fischler, director, CEnter for high energy physics
- Field theory
- Supersymmetry
- String theory
- Quantum cosmology
- Statistical mechanics
VADIM Kaplunovsky
- Field theory
- Supersymmetry
- String theory
ANDREAS KARCH
- String Theory
- Quantum Field Theory
- Strongly Correlated Systems
- Holography
CAN KILIC
- Theoretical particle physics
- Extensions of the Standard Model
- Collider phenomenology
- Dark matter models and sesarches
sonia paban
- Particle phenomenology and string theory
- Particle physics
- Theory
Founding Members
- Dan Freed, Mildred Caldwell and Baine Perkins Kerr Centennial Professor in Mathematics
- Scott Aaronson, David J. Bruton Centennial Professor in Computer Science
TEXAS CENTER FOR COSMOLOGY AND ASTROPARTICLE PHYSICS (TCCAP)
KIMBERLY BODDY
- Cosmology
- Astroparticle physics
- Dark matter
KATHERINE FREESE, Director, Texas Center for Cosmology and Astroparticle physics
- Cosmology
- Astroparticle Physics
NIChOLAS GALITZKI
- Experimental cosmology
- Astrophysical instrumentation
- Data analysis
- Polarimetry
- Cosmic microwave background
- Interstellar medium
- Cryogenics
- Balloon-borne telescopes
Founding Members
- Mike Boylan-Kolchin, Associate Professor of Astronomy
- Volker Bromm, Department Chair and Josey Centennial Professor in Astronomy
- Julian Munoz, Assistant Professor of Astronomy
- Paul Shapiro, Frank N. Edmonds, Jr. Regents Professorship in Astronomy
