Faculty

Philip Kaaret, Ph.D.

Departmental Chair
Professor

319-335-1985

Philip is the Departmental Chair and Professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of Iowa. Kaaret studies X-rays and gamma-rays from black holes, neutron stars, and the hot gas surrounding galaxies. He led the design and construction (at UI) of HaloSat, which was the first CubeSat funded by NASA’s Astrophysics Division and studied the hot halo of the Milky Way galaxy.

David Andersen, Ph.D.

Professor

david-andersen@uiowa.edu

319-335-2529

David Andersen is a Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Iowa and has a secondary appointment in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Shea Brown, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Instruction

shea-brown@uiowa.edu

319-335-3506

Shea Brown is a Associate Professor of Instruction in the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of Iowa. His area of interest is Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Casey DeRoo, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

casey-deroo@uiowa.edu

319-467-0370

Casey DeRoo studies the UV/X-ray sky and the instrumentation needed to make effective astronomical measurements at these wavelengths. His research focuses on the fabrication, characterization, and use of diffraction gratings in spectrometers and on thin, high performance mirrors for high energy telescopes. For his work developing freeform grating patterns on curved surfaces, Prof. DeRoo was named a Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellow by NASA’s Astrophysics Division in 2021.

Adrian Elcock, Ph.D.

Professor

adrian-elcock@uiowa.edu

319-335-6643

Adrian Elcock is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Iowa and has a secondary appointment in the Department of Physics and Astronomy

Michael Flatté, Ph.D.

Professor

michael-flatte@uiowa.edu

319-335-0201

Michael E. Flatté is a Professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of Iowa. His research interests include condensed-matter theory, materials theory, quantum coherent systems and quantum information.

Thomas Folland, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

thomas-folland@uiowa.edu

319-467-3137

Prof. Folland works on infrared nanophotonics and quantum materials research, from fundamental properties to device applications. In his lab students measure and understand the properties of exotic materials allowing him to design better infrared light detectors and emitters. These can be implemented for numerous applications, from detecting toxic chemicals in the environment, to creating emergent quantum phenomena. In parallel to his research, Prof. Folland is an active member of the materials research society, supporting early career professional development.

Hai Fu, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

hai-fu@uiowa.edu

319-335-0402

Hai Fu received his B.S. in Astronomy from Nanjing University and his Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. His research is in the field of galaxy formation and evolution, with current observational projects on the impact of galaxy mergers, the evolution of galactic rotation, and gas accretion flows connecting the cosmic web and dusty starburst galaxies.

Kenneth Gayley, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Astronomy Graduate Advisor

kenneth-gayley@uiowa.edu

319-335-3282

Ken studies the winds of massive stars, with emphasis on how they become structured and generate shocks, X-rays, and polarization. He is the project scientist on an ultraviolet spectropolarimetry mission concept named Polstar, and concentrates on theoretical models with the goal of understanding the physics of radiatively driven winds and their role in stellar and galactic evolution. His courses emphasize the use of astronomy as a tool to encounter almost every topic in physics as they play out on a vast range of scales and strengths.

John Goree, Ph.D.

Professor

john-goree@uiowa.edu

319-335-1843

John A. Goree is a Professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of Iowa. His research interests include experimental plasma physics, statistical physics and soft condensed matter physics.

Jasper Halekas, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

jasper-halekas@uiowa.edu

319-335-1929

Jasper Halekas’s research seeks to broaden our understanding of the impact of the Sun and the solar wind on our solar system and its evolution. To accomplish this, he designs and builds instruments to measure charged particles around moons and planets and in the interplanetary medium. Jasper's research spans planetary science and space physics, with a unifying theme the use of charged particle measurements to remotely infer plasma processes. He is the instrument lead or instrument scientist for particle sensors on the MAVEN, Parker Solar Probe, and TRACERS spacecraft, and the deputy PI for the THEMIS-ARTEMIS and Lunar Vertex missions.

Richard Hichwa, Ph.D.

Senior Associate VP for Research
Professor

richard-hichwa@uiowa.edu

319-335-2106

Richard Hichwa is Senior Associate Vice President for Research at the University of Iowa. He is a Professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Iowa and has a secondary appointment in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Keri Hoadley, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

keri-hoadley@uiowa.edu

319-467-4436

Keri Hoadley is an expert in far-ultraviolet astrophysics. She studies a wide variety of astronomical topics, including the interstellar gas, star and planet formation, the nearly invisible gas surrounding all galaxies, and stellar collisions. She is also a leader in space ultraviolet spectrographs and telescopes, managing a variety of NASA suborbital missions (and currently spearheading the next flight of FIREBall-2) and being a core team member on future UV space missions (Aspera, Hyperion). She secured a prize postdoctoral fellowship at Caltech prior to her arrival at the University of Iowa for her leadership role on FIREBall-2. In 2021, she received NASA's prestigious Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellowship in Astrophysics for rising future PIs among early career scientists.

Gregory Howes, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

gregory-howes@uiowa.edu

319-335-1221

Gregory G. Howes is an Associate Professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of Iowa. His research interests include theoretical and computational plasma physics.

Allison Jaynes, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

allison-n-jaynes@uiowa.edu

319-335-3799

Assistant Professor Allison Jaynes joined the faculty at the University of Iowa in 2017 after receiving a PhD from the University of New Hampshire and working as a researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research focuses on inner magnetosphere particle dynamics, including the ring current and radiation belts and how they connect to atmospheric and auroral physics. She has been a Co-Investigator on the MMS and Van Allen Probes NASA satellite missions.

Craig Kletzing, Ph.D.

Professor

craig-kletzing@uiowa.edu

319-335-1904

Kletzing joined the UI faculty in 1996, has focused much of his research on using rockets and satellites to learn about Earth’s auroras. In June 2019, NASA and the UI announced that a team of scientists led by Kletzing earned a $115 million NASA contract—the largest research award in the UI’s history—to study the connection between Earth and the sun’s magnetic fields. Kletzing also has been recognized as a skilled classroom teacher.

Cornelia Lang, Ph.D.

Professor
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education (CLAS)

cornelia-lang@uiowa.edu

319-335-1945

Cornelia Lang's research interests focus on understanding the astrophysics at the very center of our Milky Way Galaxy and of other nearby galaxies. She uses radio telescopes at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in New Mexico, as well as satellites such as the Hubble Space Telescope. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Iowa Space Grant Consortium, and several UI Internal Grants. She serves as chair of the Working Group on the Galactic Center of the International Astronomical Union.

Usha Mallik, Ph.D.

Professor

usha-mallik@uiowa.edu

319-335-0499

Usha Mallik is a Professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of Iowa. Her research interests include experimental elementary particle physics.

Yannick Meurice, Ph.D.

Professor

yannick-meurice@uiowa.edu

319-335-1991

Yannick Meurice is a professor at the University of Iowa. He was a postdoc at CERN and Argonne National Laboratory and a visiting professor at CINVESTAV in Mexico City. His current work includes lattice gauge theory, tensor renormalization group methods, near conformal gauge theories, critical machine learning, quantum simulations with cold atoms and quantum computing. He is the PI of a multi-institutional DOE HEP QuantISED grant.

David M. Miles, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

david-miles@uiowa.edu

319-335-3007

David M. Miles is an experimental space physicist specializing in the development of next-generation spaceflight magnetic field instruments and particularly miniature instruments for nanosatellites and multi-point measurement constellations. His research interests include space weather, solar-terrestrial physics, and auroral dynamics including magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling.

He is the principal investigator for the magnetic field instrument (MGF) on the Cassiopie/e-POP spacecraft (now funded by European Space Agency as Swarm-Echo) and is the instrument PI for the miniature fluxgate magnetometer (DFGM) on the Ex-Alta-1 CubeSat. He has provided fluxgate magnetnometers for sub-orbital sounding rockets (ICI-4, ICI-5 and Maxidusty-1b) and on ACES-II in 2021.

Jane Nachtman, Ph.D.

Director of Undergraduate Studies
Professor

jane-nachtman@uiowa.edu

319-335-1844

Jane Nachtman received her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1997 followed by a postdoc at UCLA under Professor David Saltzberg. In 2002 she joined Fermilab as an associate scientist, ultimately becoming a Scientist I before joining the University of Iowa in 2007. Professor Nachtman's research involves CMS and DUNE R&D and commissioning, as well as CMS data analysis.

Yasar Onel, Ph.D.

Professor

yasar-onel@uiowa.edu

319-335-1853

Yasar Onel received his Ph.D. from London University in 1975 followed by a postdoc at Queen Mary University-London and work at the Universities of Neuchatel and Geneva. Professor Onel then moved to the University of Texas Austin in 1986 where he was part of the Fermilab E683 experiment. He joined the University of Iowa in 1988, working on the E704/E781 experiments before joining the CMS Collaboration in 1993 where he has led University of Iowa's HEP group since.

Wayne Polyzou, Ph.D.

Professor

polyzou@uiowa.edu

319-335-1856

Wayne N. Polyzou is a Professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of Iowa. His research interests include theoretical nuclear physics and mathematical physics.

John Prineas, Ph.D.

Director of Research Operations
Professor

john-prineas@uiowa.edu

319-335-3347

John’s research has a compound semiconductor materials and device focus. As an experimentalist, he does materials growth and fabrication, and studies properties such as carrier dynamics using ultrafast optical techniques. He is the departmental Director of Research Operations, associate editor at Optical Materials Express, and received the 2019 Research and Innovation Excellence Faculty/Staff Startup of the Year Award in 2019. He is developing new graduate courses in thin films and microfabrication science, and quantum optics.

Craig Pryor, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

craig-pryor@uiowa.edu

Craig Pryor is an Associate Professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of Iowa. His research interests include theoretical condensed matter.

Mary Hall Reno, Ph.D.

Professor

mary-hall-reno@uiowa.edu

319-335-1920

Reno's research is in theoretical particle physics with a focus on neutrino interactions and detection, for which she was recognized as a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Funded by the Department of Energy and NASA grants, her research exploits the connections between measurements in particle accelerator experiments and calculations of high energy interactions of cosmic rays and cosmic neutrinos.

Vincent Rodgers, Ph.D.

Director of Graduate Studies
Professor

vincent-rodgers@uiowa.edu

319-335-1219

Vincent G. J. Rodgers is Director of Graduate Studies and a Professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of Iowa. His research interests include theoretical particle physics and string theory.

Jack Scudder, Ph.D.

Professor

jack-scudder@uiowa.edu

319-335-0804

Jack D. Scudder is a Professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of Iowa. His research interests include space plasma physics.

Frederick Skiff, Ph.D.

Professor

frederick-skiff@uiowa.edu

319-335-0564

Frederick N. Skiff is a Professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of Iowa. His research interests include laser spectroscopy and plasma physics.

Kory Stiffler, Ph.D.

Visiting Assistant Professor

kory-stiffler@uiowa.edu

319-467-0004

Kory Stiffler is a theoretical physicist with research interests in supersymmetry, black hole physics, cosmology, and string theory. for black hole physics and cosmology research, Kory focuses on Thomas-Whitehead gravity developed by Professor Vincent G. J. Rodgers (University of Iowa). In supersymmetry research, Kory focuses on adinkras: colorful diagrams encoding supersymmetry. To aid in adinkra research for students and colleagues, as owner of the GitHub organization HEPTHools, Kory along with several student members has developed the adinkra.m mathematica package.

John Sunderland, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Director, PET Imaging Center

john-sunderland@uiowa.edu

319-356-1092

John J. Sunderland is Professor of Radiology in the Division of Nuclear Medicine at the University of Iowa, and has a secondary appointment in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. He is also Director of the PET Imaging Center and is a Professor of Radiation Oncology. His research interests include medical physics.

Fatima Toor, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

fatima-toor@uiowa.edu

319-335-6071

Fatima Toor is an Associate Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Iowa and has a secondary appointment in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. She is a researcher at the Iowa Technology Institute, Iowa-CREATES and MATFab Facility.

Ravitej Uppu, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

ravitej-uppu@uiowa.edu

319-467-3201

Ravi’s research investigates solid-state emitters coupled to a nanophotonic environment for realizing photonic qubits and spin-photon interfaces. He envisions that such nanophotonic devices will pave the way for real-world applications in quantum communication, simulation, and quantum-enhanced imaging. Ravi enjoys interacting with and training graduate and undergraduate students on optics, quantum physics, and statistical mechanics. Prior to UIowa, Ravi carried out research across the world [Niels Bohr Institute (Denmark), University of Twente (Netherlands), and TIFR (India)] and continues to maintain active international collaborations. Ravi is the lead PI of the UI-QuantumSimulation team that was awarded a Jumpstarting Tomorrow grant in 2021.

Jun Wang, Ph.D.

Professor

jun-wang-1@uiowa.edu

319-353-4483

Wang has joint appointments in the University of Iowa Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering and the Iowa Informatics Initiative, and secondary affiliation with the Center for Global and Regional Environmental Studies, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Department of Physics and Astronomy, and Center for Computer-Aided Design. His current research focuses on the integration of satellite remote sensing and chemistry transport model to study air quality, wildfires, aerosol-cloud interaction, and land-air interaction.

Markus Wohlgenannt, Ph.D.

Professor

markus-wohlgenannt@uiowa.edu

319-353-1974

Markus Wohlgenannt is a Professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of Iowa. His research interests include experimental polymer physics.