Prof. Justin C. Burton receives $1.25 million Moore Foundation Award

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has awarded a $1.25 million Physics Investigators Initiative grant to Justin C. Burton, an associate professor of physics at Emory University. The grant will cover the next five years of Burton’s investigation in advancing the scientific frontier in experimental physics.  Burton’s investigative research works to bridge the communication gap between geoscientists and … More Prof. Justin C. Burton receives $1.25 million Moore Foundation Award

Sergei Urazhdin receives SEED award as a Cottrell Scholar

Professor Sergei Urazhdin, a former Cottrell Scholar, has received a new SEED award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement: https://rescorp.org/cottrell-scholars/cottrell-plus/seed-awards. The competitive SEED award is given to Cottrell Scholars as they launch exceptionally creative, new research or educational activities with the potential for high impact. Prof. Urazhdin’s lab investigates new physical phenomena that emerge … More Sergei Urazhdin receives SEED award as a Cottrell Scholar

Physicists open new path to an exotic form of superconductivity

Emory Physicists have identified a mechanism for the formation of oscillating superconductivity known as pair-density waves. Physical Review Letters published the discovery, which provides new insight into an unconventional, superconductive state seen in certain materials, including high-temperature superconductors. “We discovered that structures known as Van Hove singularities can produce modulating, oscillating states of superconductivity,” says … More Physicists open new path to an exotic form of superconductivity

How three proteins interact to fine-tune cellular movement

A single human cell teems with as many 100,000 different proteins. Actin is one of the most abundant and essential of them all. This protein forms into filaments that help make up the skeleton of cells, giving them shape. And as the actin filaments elongate, they work like muscles, pushing against the inner membrane of … More How three proteins interact to fine-tune cellular movement

James Merrill receives the 2022-2023 Montag Award

James Merrill has been awarded the Jim and Ethel Montag Graduate Physics Award for the 2022-2023 academic year.  The Jim and Ethel Montag Graduate Physics Award is awarded annually to an exceptional graduate student for accomplishments in physics research. James Merrill recently published an exciting first author paper in ACS Macro Letters, along with his advisor … More James Merrill receives the 2022-2023 Montag Award

Barbara Conner wins Outstanding Program Administrator

Barabara Conner has won the Laney Graduate School’s annual award for Outstanding Program Administrator. Barbara is the Senior Program Administrator for the Physics Graduate Program. This honor follows her 10+ years of service and dedication. She consistently provides our graduate students with the best educational experience and serves as the anchor for their well-being. Congratulations … More Barbara Conner wins Outstanding Program Administrator

A needle in a haystack that you can’t see

“A needle in a haystack that you can’t see” – Emory Professor Erin Bonning discusses runaway black holes in this latest piece from Scientific American! Erin Bonning (center left) is a senior lecturer and Director of the Planetarium in the Emory Physics Department. She is the author of numerous scholarly publications and specializes in black … More A needle in a haystack that you can’t see

Susan Cook wins Emory Award of Distinction

We are proud to honor Susan De’Vita Cook, who received Emory’s 2023 Award of Distinction. She is the Senior Academic Degree Program Coordinator for the Physics Department and has dedicated over 29 years to Emory. The Award of Distinction Program is the highest award for university staff which annually recognizes approximately 10-15 university employees who … More Susan Cook wins Emory Award of Distinction

Emory physicists to study airborne microbes, funded by $1.2 million Keck Award

The Keck Foundation awarded Emory physicists Minsu Kim (left) and Justin Burton $1.2 million to explore how microbes adapt to living in the Earth’s atmosphere and the broader role that these organisms may play in the planet’s ecosystem. Microbes have an incredible ability to thrive in different environments. Extensive research has shown the vital roles … More Emory physicists to study airborne microbes, funded by $1.2 million Keck Award

As the worm turns: New twists in behavioral association theories

Physicists have developed a dynamical model of animal behavior that may explain some mysteries surrounding associative learning going back to Pavlov’s dogs. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) published the findings, based on experiments on a common laboratory organism, the roundworm C. elegans.  “We showed how learned associations are not mediated by just … More As the worm turns: New twists in behavioral association theories