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Physics PhD Students

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Dany Atallah

Dany Atallah

PhD Student

Office location: 1800 Sherman #8025
danyatallah@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Rasio Group
Research Statement: The dynamical capacity and stability of black hole hierarchies formed in globular clusters beyond triples

Olivia Meredith Bitter

Olivia Meredith Bitter

PhD Student

Office location: Tech F418
oliviabitter2027@u.northwestern.edu
Group: de Gouvea Group
Research Statement: My research interests span the field of neutrino phenomenology. Currently my projects include exploring time invariance violation effects in matter with applications to the future DUNE experiment, as well as looking into pseudo-Dirac neutrinos through sterile neutrino extensions.

Nia Burrell

Nia Burrell

PhD Student

Office location: Mudd 1185
niaburrell2025@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Geraci Group
Research Statement: Precision measurements and investigation of non-Newtonian short-range gravity using optically levitating nanoparticles.

Daniel Buser

Daniel Buser

PhD Student

Office location: Tech F321
danielbuser2028@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Motter Group
Research Statement: The study of links between synchronization and entanglement in coupled spin networks.

Ran Chen

Ran Chen

PhD Student

Office location: Tech F140
ranchen@northwestern.edu
Group: Figueroa-Feliciano Group
Research Statement: Developing a sensitive detector to measure the coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS)

Danyang Chen

Danyang Chen

PhD Student

Office location: Tech F225
DanyangChen2026@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Koch Group
Research Statement: Characterizing quantum error correction schemes and developing high fidelity qubit operations on superconducting circuits

Sai Pavan Chitta

Sai Pavan Chitta

PhD Student

Office location: Tech F229
SaiChitta2025@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Koch Group
Research Statement: Simulation and design of protected superconducting qubits

Ken DeRose

Ken DeRose

PhD Student

Office location: Dearborn 5
KennethDerose2026@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Kovachy Group
Research Statement: Testing Einstein's equivalence principle, the gravitational inverse square law, and searching for forces beyond the Standard Model using atom interferometry

William Eom

William Eom

PhD Student

Phone number: 847-467-6588
Office location: Mudd 1173
williameom2024@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Geraci Group
Research Statement: Preparing ground-state cooled, optically levitated nanospheres for precision force sensing of Casimir forces and Yukawa-type corrections to gravity

Joshua Fuhrman

Joshua Fuhrman

PhD Student- Graduated 24-25 school year

Phone number: 847-467-6852
Office location: Tech F140
joshuafuhrman2023@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Figueroa-Feliciano Group
Research Statement: Supernova remnant study and dark matter search with Micro-X, a NASA Sounding Rocket program flying Transition-Edge Sensors and their SQUID readout system

Ethan Garvey

Ethan Garvey

PhD Student

Office location: Mudd 1177
EthanGarvey2025@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Stern Group
Research Statement: Optical experiments for understanding the properties of novel low dimensional magnetic materials and devices

S. Carin Gavin

S. Carin Gavin

PhD Student- Graduated 24-25 school year

Phone number: 847-467-3976
Office location: Mudd 1177
sarahgavin2024@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Stern Group
Research Statement: Optical and spin properties of mixed-dimensional heterostructures

Jonah Glick

Jonah Glick

PhD Student

Office location: Mudd 1164
JonahGlick2025@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Kovachy Group
Research Statement: Development of atom interferometry techniques for precision gravitational measurements, tests of quantum mechanics, and searches for dark matter

Jorin Graham

Jorin Graham

PhD Student

Office location: Tech F324
JorinGraham@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Motter Group
Research Statement: Spreading processes on complex networks; network science and machine learning for cell biology

Scott Grudichak

Scott Grudichak

PhD Student

Phone number: 847-491-5468
Office location: Tech F213
scottgrudichak2021@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Geraci Group
Research Statement: Fabrication and characterization of thin film type 2 superconductors, patterned with anti-dot arrays

Cole Kampa

Cole Kampa

PhD Student

Phone number: 847-467-2477
Office location: Tech F127
colekampa2024@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Schmitt Group
Research Statement: Modeling Mu2e experiment's magnetic field. Developing robust statistical analyses for particle physics experiments. Muon capture neutron emission analysis for the AlCap experiment

Taeyoon Kim

Taeyoon Kim

PhD Student

Office location: Fermilab TD ICB
taeyoonkim2018@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Koch Group
Research Statement: Experimental research of quantum information processing with superconducting qubits and high-Q 3D cavities

Shelby Klomp

Shelby Klomp

PhD Student

Office location: Tech F146
ShelbyKlomp2020@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Geraci Group
Research Statement: Detection of high-frequency gravitational waves using optically levitated dielectric particles

Aakash Lakshmanan

Aakash Lakshmanan

PhD Student

Office location: Dearborn 5
AakashLakshmanan2026@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Kamal Group
Research Statement: Development of theoretical tools to understand topological phases

Siyuan Liu

Siyuan Liu

PhD Student- Graduated 24-25 school year

Phone number: 847-467-9117
Office location: Mudd 1195
siyuanliu2023@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Gabrielse Group
Research Statement: Search for electron Electric Dipole Moment through the ACME experiment

Qiaofeng Liu

Qiaofeng Liu

PhD Student

Office location: Tech F420
QiaofengLiu2027@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Low Group
Research Statement: Entanglement in quantum field theory; quantum simulation of fundamental physics

Beverly Lowell

Beverly Lowell

PhD Student

Office location: 1800 Sherman #8029
beverlylowell2023@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Tchekovskoy Group
Research Statement: Dynamically important magnetic fields and black hole spin-down

Michael MacKenzie

Michael MacKenzie

PhD Student- Graduated 24-25 school year

Office location: Tech F122
michaelmackenzie2023@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Velasco Group
Research Statement: Experimental particle physics research on charged-lepton flavor-violating processes at Mu2e and CMS

Austin Marga

Austin Marga

PhD Student

Office location: Tech F226
austinmarga2027@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Chandrasekhar Group
Research Statement: Low temperature fabrication and measurement of superconducting electron interference devices

Nathaniel McDonough

Nathaniel McDonough

PhD Student

Phone number: 847-467-9116
Office location: Mudd 1195
nathanielmcdonough2023@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Gabrielse Group
Research Statement: Laser cooling and precision spectroscopy of atomic hydrogen

Michael McGinnis

Michael McGinnis

PhD Student

Office location: Tech F127
MichaelMcginnis2026@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Hahn Group
Research Statement: Constraints on di-Higgs production and EFT interpretation with the CMS experiment; data acquisition systems and online track-fitting for CMS and MUonE.

Thomas McKenzie-Smith

Thomas McKenzie-Smith

PhD Student

Phone number: 610-551-3138
Office location: Tech F318
thomasmckenzie-smith2027@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Motter Group
Research Statement: Applications of machine learning and networks to the design of complex systems.

Jacob McLaughlin

Jacob McLaughlin

PhD Student

Phone number: 847-467-3752
Office location: Tech F140
A1P8Q8@u.northwestern.edu
Research Statement: Characterization of novel backgrounds in large scale xenon-based dark matter detectors and improving their sensitivity to low mass WIMP signals

Yulun Miao

Yulun Miao

PhD Student

Office location: Tech F127
YulunMiao2020@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Schmitt Group
Research Statement: Searching for three massive gauge boson production at CMS

Nicholas Miller

Nicholas Miller

PhD Student

Office location: Dearborn 5
NicholasMiller2025@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Kovachy Group
Research Statement: Searching for ultralight scalar field dark matter through differential strain measurements of cryogenic optical cavities

Geev Nahal

Geev Nahal

PhD Student

Phone number: 847-467-9116
Office location: Mudd 1195
geevnahal2021@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Sauls Group
Research Statement: A measurement of the electron and positron magnetic moments

Kevin Ryan

Kevin Ryan

PhD Student

Office location: Tech F220
kevinryan2024@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Chandrasekhar Group
Research Statement: Fabrication and cryogenic magnetotransport of 2D and thin film devices exploring multiferroics, superconductors and related phenomena

John Scott

John Scott

PhD Student

Phone number: 847-491-8616
Office location: Tech F226
johnscott2025@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Halperin Group
Research Statement: Nuclear magnetic resonance study of properties and phases of Helium 3 in aerogel at ultra-low temperatures

Aslan Seifi

Aslan Seifi

PhD Student

Office location: Tech F416
aslanseifi2024@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Carrasco Group
Research Statement: Scattering Amplitudes, Color-Kinematics duality

Charlotte (Yanxuan) Shao

Charlotte (Yanxuan) Shao

PhD Student

Office location: Tech F324
yanxuanshao2024@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Motter Group
Research Statement: Spontaneous oscillations and more complex dynamics in microfluidic networks

Zhiheng Sheng

Zhiheng Sheng

PhD Student

Office location: Tech F140
zhihengsheng2024@u.northwestern.edu
Research Statement: Data acquisition in scintillating LAr bubble chamber (SBC) for direct dark matter detection

Zehao Song

Zehao Song

PhD Student

Office location: Dearborn 15
zehao_song@northwestern.edu
Group: de la Cruz Group
Research Statement: Coarse-grained modeling of the dynamics of driven polyelectrolyte solutions with charge confinement

Lillian Soucy

Lillian Soucy

PhD Student

Office location: Mudd 1195
lilliansoucy2030@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Gabrielse Group
Research Statement: Improved precision measurements of the electron and positron magnetic moments

Aaron (Zhiyuan) Wang

Aaron (Zhiyuan) Wang

PhD Student

Office location: Mudd 1156
ZhiyuanWang2024@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Geraci Group
Research Statement: Detecting high-frequency gravitational waves with optically levitated micro-sensors

Max Wisne

Max Wisne

PhD Student

Office location: Tech F220
maxwellwisne2025@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Chandrasekhar Group
Research Statement: Measuring nonlocal transport in superconducting mesoscopic devices

Suna Zekioglu

Suna Zekioglu

PhD Student- Graduated 24-25 school year

Office location: Tech F418
sunazekioglu2024@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Carrasco Group
Research Statement: Investigations of hidden structure connecting scattering amplitudes in gauge theory and gravity

Gan Zhai

Gan Zhai

PhD Student

Office location: Dearborn
GanZhai2025@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Halperin Group
Research Statement: NMR research on novel superconducting compounds

Yi Zhao

Yi Zhao

PhD Student

Office location: Tech F318
YiZhao2025@u.northwestern.edu
Group: Motter Group
Research Statement: Genetic network dynamics and complex systems modeling