Graduate Program

Dr. Yuan-Ming Lu was a graduate student in the BC physics department from 2007-2011. During that time, he performed theoretical research on topological phases of matter under the supervision of Prof. Ziqiang Wang and in close collaboration with Prof. Ying Ran. After obtaining his PhD in 2011, he became a postdoctoral scholar at UC Berkeley. He joined the faculty of The Ohio State University in 2014, where he is now an associate professor. Prof. Lu has made seminal contributions to the study of topological phases and strongly correlated systems and is the recipient of the NSF CAREER award in 2017.

How do you reflect on your time as a physics graduate student at BC?

I really enjoyed my days in BC. BC was my first impression of the foreign world since I have never been to another country outside China before my PhD. I started to like Boston after the harbor tour for incoming students: it was quite spectacular for a kid new to America. I was in Ziqiang Wang’s group and spent most of my time on research, and both Ziqiang and senior students in the group were extremely nice and helpful for an incoming student, both in research and in life.

Later when Ying Ran joined the department, he quickly became a big brother of mine and taught me so many lessons on all kinds of things. I still remembered the days when we discussed and worked overnight and he drove me back at 1 or 2am.

I also bonded strongly with other students and postdocs that overlap with me at BC, mostly from physics and econ (my housemate was an Econ PhD candidate), and some of us still keep in close touch nowadays. I played tennis and soccer a lot at BC, and I still miss the weekend soccer games we had in Brighton. My time at BC was definitely a special period that will not fade away easily.

How did your experience at BC contribute to your current career?

In retrospect, my professional trajectory would be completely different if I did not get into BC. I have nothing but gratitude to everyone during my years at BC and I wouldn’t have been who I am without them. Admission to BC really opened the door for me to start an academic career in the United States. I felt very lucky that Ziqiang was quite open to my collaborations with other PIs, such as Xiao-Gang Wen at MIT and Ying Ran after he joined BC. What they taught me at that time shaped the very foundation of my understanding of physics. Ying Ran also recommend me to his former postdoctoral advisors Dung-Hai Lee and Ashvin Vishwanath at UC Berkeley, who later became my postdoc mentors. This connection turns out to be a crucial move in my career.

Dr. Lucas Lindsay was a graduate student in the BC physics department from 2004-2010. Under the guidance of Prof. David Broido, Dr. Lindsay developed theory and first-principles calculations to describe the lattice thermal conductivities of carbon nanotubes and graphene. After graduation, Dr. Lindsay taught physics for two years at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA. Afterwards, he started a fellowship at the US Naval Research Laboratory, where in collaboration with Prof. Broido and Dr. Thomas Reinecke, he made the first prediction of ultra-high thermal conductivity in boron arsenide, which has since been experimentally confirmed. Since 2014, Dr. Lindsay has been a scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he continues to predict and optimize materials for thermal management on some of the most powerful supercomputers in the world. In 2019, Dr. Lindsay was awarded a Department of Energy Early Career Award.

How do you reflect on your time as a physics graduate student at BC?

First and foremost, the time went so quickly – from an interview with my mother in tow and tour guided by a recently doctored Cyril Opeil (now Prof. Opeil) to defense and farewells. I recall sitting in classrooms learning the importance of good erasers and the fluctuation-dissipation theorem from Prof. Kalman and wondering of the importance of Clebsch-Gordan coefficients in class with Prof. Broido. I recall standing in classrooms learning to ‘teach’ physics and learning humility, particularly in the face of the triangle inequality and Prof. Herczyński. Graduate school friends were so diverse in background and interests and brought joy to learning and humor to research. They taught my new wife and I the meaning of Boston sport fanaticism, how to survive the chill of a Boston winter, how to survive each other, and helped in the grand learning process of raising a baby. I remember walks in the snow from office to gym to coffee and back (pastry in tow), games and colloquia, cozy nights in pubs with friends, football games with wins over Clemson (once dragging a buddy from the STM), and the simple comfort of feeling in the right place at the right time.

How did your experience at BC contribute to your current career?

Where to begin? Before joining BC I had no idea what condensed matter physics was, now the backbone of my work. Some professors taught me how to think; some taught me how to share what I think, while others were simply patient enough to let me think. Prof. Broido helped me overcome my fear of vast arrays, subscripts, sums, and ‘supercomputing’ so that now I can toy with the biggest compute machines in the world. More generally, BC taught me how to behave around science bigwigs, the joys of committee work (bit of sarcasm), how to stare in astonishment at the enormity of cutting-edge experimental characterization tools, and how to put pen to paper (and ultimately to computers) to fiddle with equations. These experiences stoked my curiosity and provided a foundational research capacity to support me through an ever-winding career mixed with teaching, management, and the pursuit of novel little mysteries.

Dr. Nakib H. Protik was a graduate student in BC Physics from 2014-2019. For his doctoral research work, carried out under the supervision of Prof. David Broido, he studied the effects of impurity scattering on heat transport and developed a computational method for calculating the self-consistent coupled transport of charge and heat in materials. Since obtaining his PhD, he has held postdoctoral research positions at Harvard University, USA and ICN2, Spain. He is currently an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow at the Institute of Physics and IRIS Adlershof of Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany.

How do you reflect on your time as a physics graduate student at BC?

I had a wonderful time at BC. The campus is an architectural gem in the region and the people were friendly and smart. I fondly remember the inspiring classes I took with Profs. Ziqiang Wang, Pradip Bakshi, Kevin Bedell, Jan Engelbrecht, and Krzysztof Kempa. My doctoral supervisor, Prof. David Broido, was a great mentor to me and has shaped the way I think about and approach research problems. My cohort was a fantastic group of young physicists. There was a great sense of camaraderie among us and we really pulled together when the going got tough at times. I also remember the kind and supportive staff members - Jane, Nancy, Sile, and Scott. I have studied and worked in many universities around the world, and to me BC was truly special.

How did your experience at BC contribute to your current career?

The training I received at BC was crucial for my career trajectory. In my opinion, BC Physics strikes a good balance between the amount of coursework, teaching, and research that is required from its doctoral students. Its location in the Greater Boston area also benefited me since it allowed me to easily network with the other excellent physics departments in the region.

Chris Bedell was an undergraduate student in the BC physics department from 2003-2007. While completing his undergraduate degree Chris performed research with Professor Jan Engelbrecht in computational neuroscience, where he created mathematical models to understand the behavior of neuron interactions, and originated correlations between neuron interactions and mean field theory, which was presented at the APS conference in 2006. Chris also performed research at the Institute for Scientific Research at Boston College where he used statistical data analysis and mathematical modeling to understand magnetic fields and how they interfere with GPS signals in the ionosphere. Upon graduation, Chris decided to pursue another one of his interests in Finance and Economics. He completed his Master's in Finance at Boston College in 2008 while working at State Street in Quantitative Operational Risk Management, and then at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College as an economic research associate. After being corrupted by the dark side of mathematics through finance, it was now easier to defect and go to Boston University to complete his Master's in Mechanical Engineering. While completing his Master's at BU, Chris worked at Children's Hospital with a team of engineers on a minimally invasive surgical robot, and designed algorithms to produce the optimal robot for use in surgery on newborns, which was published in ICRA 2011 “Design Optimization of Concentric Tube Robots Based on Task and Anatomical Constraints”. He also worked on a project developing an algorithm for flying UAVs through cluttered environments in a way that reproduces the trajectories of birds and bats. After completing his Master's at Boston University in 2011 Chris went on to work at General Electric Aviation. Chris developed and qualified the T408 engine for the Marine CH53-K King Stallion, led the performance team for the Army FATE engine demonstrator program, was the project manager for the Army Thermal/Electrical/Propulsion integration program, and is currently working on developing and qualifying the T901 engine for the Army which will be used both to upgrade the legacy fleet as well as be the primary engine for the upcoming Army FARA program.

How do you reflect on your time as a physics undergraduate student at BC? 

I loved my time at BC and my time as a physics undergraduate student. BC gave me a glimpse into both the arts and sciences with a core curriculum, and being a physics major allowed me to build my understanding of physical systems and how they interact, as well as a strong background in mathematical computation and simulation. I loved having a close-knit group of friends and colleagues that shared similar passions. Graduating from the physics program allowed for many doors to be open to me, though at the time I don’t think I really understood this fully. The most obvious progression is to go into academia as all of the professors around you have. Looking back at my graduating class some went to academia, some went into government jobs, some to actuaries and finance, others to industry and engineering like myself. My path to where I am today was not a straight line, but along the way, I found what I am passionate about, and took all the experiences I gained along the way and applied them to my passion. Being a physics major at BC gave me the opportunities I needed, and the drive to find my passions, to lead me to where I am today.

How did your experience at BC contribute to your current career?

Looking at where I currently am in my career I see myself using the following skills daily. Computational modeling and simulation of concept engines as well as demonstrable engines (technical skills), planning for contingencies and making real-time decisions (physical understanding of a system and interactions), authoring test plans and reports (written communication), presenting plans and results to internal and external customers (verbal and visual communication to target audiences), and collaborating and integrating multiple disciplines to execute on complex tests (People Management). All of these skills started to mature at BC and are constantly being updated and refined. At BC, my computation science minor and the work done with Professor Engelbrecht built my strong concept of computer programing and mathematical modeling. I was able to take these tools with me into Finance at State Street, through my masters at BU in engineering, and up until this day. Physics, in general, helped me to have a rich understanding of how objects interact mechanically and thermally, these core concepts help me to make decisions about how systems will act and interact. I will never love to write reports, but the skills and feedback I received from Physics labs have made the writing of the reports easier and have allowed me to present data and results more clearly. Presenting in classes was helpful, but presenting research outside my comfort zone at poster sessions and forums like the March APS meeting, gave me the best experiences to learn from. Collaboration and understanding how to help a team work together and use each other's strengths to the fullest is something that takes time and experience to do well. BC gave me opportunities to work with partners and small groups, with professors, and at some of the institutes like the ISR at Boston College. These experiences really helped me to understand how different groups of people work together and allowed me to have experiences to learn from in terms of what did and did not work.

Dr. Erin Sheridan was an undergraduate student in the BC physics department from 2012-2016. From 2014-2016, she performed research in experimental condensed matter physics with Professor Ken Burch, where she investigated the excitonic behavior of two-dimensional materials. Upon graduation, Erin joined Professor Jeremy Levy’s group at the University of Pittsburgh, where she studied ultrafast nonlinear optics as a National Science Foundation graduate research fellow. She has also studied the philosophy of physics. After obtaining her PhD in 2021, she began working with the Quantum Information Sciences group at the Air Force Research Laboratory as a National Academy of Sciences postdoctoral fellow. Her current research focuses on quantum networking with superconducting, trapped ion and photonic qubits.

How do you reflect on your time as a physics undergraduate student at BC?

I grew up in a working-class family in a small town outside of Boston. In middle school I decided that I would do whatever I had to do to become a physicist, and eventually enrolled at BC as a physics and mathematics major. As a first-generation student, I faced many challenges adjusting to college life. Through my years at BC, the physics department was my home base. It was where I found a close-knit, supportive community to belong to. I could confide my struggles to faculty and staff in the department and they would encourage me to keep pushing forward.Despite my love for physics, I was never a student that could easily get A’s on physics exams. I had to work really, really hard for B+ grades in my courses. I didn’t mind, because I loved it so much! However, when I stepped into Professor Ken Burch’s laboratory, physics came easily to me for the first time. I found that if I put the time into my experiments, I could excel as a scientist. I worked in the Burch lab during my sophomore, junior and senior years, and enjoyed my experience so much that I decided to pursue a PhD in experimental condensed matter physics.By the time I graduated from BC, I was sad to leave my colleagues in the physics department. I have stayed in touch with my BC physics friends and always enjoy spending time with them at conferences. Looking back, I am grateful not only for my research experience, but for rigorous coursework that prepared me well for graduate level physics, a community that served as my first professional network, and for the confidence I was able to find in myself.

How did your experience at BC contribute to your current career?

Through my work with the Burch Lab, I gained research skills that I think were essential to my success in graduate school. For example, in addition to performing experiments, I worked with companies to install and maintain equipment. I also spent a lot of time in the clean room and fabrication facility, which left me with invaluable fabrication skills. Finally, I was able to present scientific results at conferences and collaborate with other research groups throughout Boston and the rest of the country. During my senior year, I traveled to Seattle to perform research with collaborators at the University of Washington. When it came time to plan for my future, Professor Burch and other professors in the physics department helped me apply to graduate schools and to the National Science Foundation GRF program. With their help, I gained admission to six PhD programs and was awarded an NSF fellowship in 2017. I believe I was admitted to these PhD programs in large part because of the network I was able to build through my research. I began my graduate research less than a week after graduating from BC, and my undergraduate experience enabled me to hit the ground running. I published three papers as a graduate student and prepared a fourth for submission.My next step is postdoctoral research with the U.S. Air Force, where I’ll be focusing on quantum computing and quantum information science. I believe I was offered my position because of my strong research record and my scientific presentation skills, both of which I owe in large part to my experience at BC.

Marisa Romanelli was an undergraduate student in the physics department at Boston College from 2016 to 2020. She worked in Prof. Ken Burch’s condensed matter physics group from 2017 to 2020, where she made transition metal dichalcogenide devices and automated Raman spectroscopy measurements. After graduating from BC, Marisa joined Prof. Vidya Madhavan’s group at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is now a third-year graduate student studying magnetic and topological materials using scanning tunneling microscopy.

How do you reflect on your time as a physics undergraduate student at BC?

I wasn’t thinking about doing experimental condensed matter physics when I enrolled at BC; in fact, I don’t think 18-year-old me understood what that phrase meant. What I came into the physics department with was a burning desire to become a scientist and the intent to seize every opportunity available to me to pursue that dream. The first opportunity presented itself earlier than I expected, when Prof. Burch gave a talk in my introductory physics class at the end of my first semester and ended the talk by saying that he was looking for new undergraduate researchers. I was surprised, as I didn’t expect there to be research opportunities available to freshmen, but I was intrigued by his talk on topological materials, which I hadn’t heard about before. I reached out to him after the talk and ended up spending the remaining three and a half years until I graduated working in his group. By the time I left, I knew what experimental condensed matter physics was – and that I wanted to get my PhD in it.Now that I’m in graduate school at a large institution like UIUC, I really appreciate how BC’s smaller size was an asset to me, not only in terms of being able to start research early in my undergraduate career, but also in terms of the tight-knit cohort that formed among physics majors. Since there was only one section of every physics class, I saw the same people week after week, year after year; we may have started out as complete strangers, but by the time we graduated, we knew each other well.

How did your experience at BC contribute to your current career?

In addition to learning the specific techniques that I used in Prof. Burch’s group, such as photolithography and Raman spectroscopy, I also learned skills that are essential for any experimentalist. I worked on coding projects in a variety of programming languages and learned how to present my research through class projects and talks in group meetings. BC also provided me the opportunity to attend several conferences; I presented posters at CUWiP and at the Emerging Researchers National Conference.When it came time to apply to graduate school, the physics department at BC was very helpful. Not only was I able to get advice from Prof. Burch and the other professors, but the graduate students in Prof. Burch’s group were able to guide me through the process based on their own recent experiences. The connections I made at BC also helped guide me towards Prof. Madhavan’s group specifically, as Prof. Zeljkovic at BC is a former postdoc of hers.Right now, I’m still in the middle of my PhD program at UIUC. I’ve already been an author on one paper published by Prof. Madhavan’s group, and I am starting to write up the results of my current project. I don’t know exactly what the future holds, but I do know that wherever I end up, I’ll make use of the skills I learned at BC. 

Dr. Sergio Gaudio studied in the BC physics department from 2001-2006. During his PhD, Dr. Gaudio worked alongside Prof. Kevin Bedell to understand the thermodynamics of ultracold atomic gases through Fermi liquid theory. After graduation, Dr. Gaudio continued his research in superfluids at Università ‘‘La Sapienza’’ in Rome, Italy, before venturing into medical physics at UCLA. Since 2016, Dr. Gaudio has been working as part of the LIGO collaboration. With colleagues in the group of Michele Zanolin at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Dr. Gaudio models detectable signals from gravitational waves emitted by supernovae processes. In 2017, the founders of the LIGO collaboration were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for the landmark discovery gravitational waves. As a popular science communicator in Italy, Dr. Gaudio has received the Excellence in Research award from the Premio Spartenze Foundation and the Gonfalon award from his hometown, Palmi.

How do you reflect on your time as a physics graduate student at BC?

When I arrived from Italy the physics building, Higgins Hall, looked very different than it does now. The physics department was going through a complete renovation. BC to me has been a family, and I still consider it as family, where you have your roots and everything stems from there.I remember the contrast between the relationship I had with my professors in Italy and the familiar, warm experience I had with the professors at Boston College.When I arrived I had some health issues but everybody helped me overcome the problems and perform at my best. That is why whenever I return to the BC Physics Department, I feel like I am going home.

How did your experience at BC contribute to your current career?

I can definitely say that I learned physics while I was a student at BC. The department provided a great environment to learn and exchange ideas, including with my peers. I was lucky Prof. Bedell accepted me as one of his graduate students, because I learned a great deal from him, from his intuitive approach of physics. He also gave me all the freedom to choose the subject I wanted to work on. I also benefited from the fact that MIT and Harvard are just around the corner. I took a few courses there too and often had meetings with some of the groups there in the same field I was working on, that is cold atom physics. Then, thanks to Prof. Bedell and a former BC PhD alumni, Krastan Blagoev, who moved to Los Alamos National Laboratory, I was able to go Los Alamos, where I conducted most of my research in condensed matter physics and worked with many people, in particular with Eddy Timmermans. In retrospect, BC has been fundamental in my education, and who knows whether I would have obtained the same results without this unique experience.