“Marty, Barry, hello.  (X) and I are looking for a physics student who might be willing to help our twelfth-grade son (and perhaps several of his classmates) study for an AP Physics exam that’s coming up this Thursday.  The high-school teacher is not everything we (or he) would hope for, and a bit of help would be very welcome.  We’re imagining an hour on Zoom at some point this Wednesday, possibly in the early afternoon, and of course we’d be happy to pay the student.

If you’re able to get us in touch with a student who’s willing and able, we’d be very appreciative.  If there’s someone else we should ask, just let us know.”

Please email Trenne (tfields@carleton.edu) or Marty (mbaylor@carleton.edu) if you are available this week and interested.  Thanks!

While these are unusual times, research in the Department of Physics at the University of Alberta is actively continuing.  Research labs have been open since June and although classes are online, we expect these laboratories to remain open.  Furthermore, federal and provincial investments in quantum and condensed matter physics are at an all time high, and the UofA has benefitted greatly.  As such, there are many opportunities for both theoretical and experimental graduate positions, such as those described below.  If you have any questions about applying, please contact the potential research mentor, or myself directly.  We will also be hosting a virtual open house in the coming months, so keep your eyes open for that.

Best,

John P. Davis

Igor Boettcher (Condensed Matter Theory) is looking for graduate students interested in researching novel quantum many-body systems. Topics include the quantum simulation of quantum field theories in hyperbolic space with circuit QED and topolectric circuits, and the study of emergent spin-3/2 fermions in topological semimetals. The research is based on applying various techniques from quantum field theory and many-body physics (diagrammatics, Renormalization group, path integrals) and has many exciting connections to mathematics (graph theory, differential geometry, operator theory). Homepage: ualberta.ca/~iboettch/

John P. Davis (Experimental Quantum) is seeking one graduate student (and one post-doc) to work in the area of quantum optomechanics.  By combining state-of-the-art nanofabrication, the remarkable technique of cavity optomechanics, and low temperatures, highly motivated students can be apart of exploring the interface between the classical world and the quantum one, and using this to develop cutting-edge quantum technology.  Dr. Davis is a part of the Quanta CREATE program, allowing for reduced TA loads, professional development activities, and special funding opportunities.  More info at: ualberta.ca/~jdavis, and ualberta.ca/science/programs/create/quanta.

John P. Davis (Experimental Quantum) is seeking one graduate student (and one post-doc) to work on discovering new phases of superfluid 3He in confined geometries.  We have developed Canada’s only cryogenic system capable of reaching below 1 mK and a motivated student will use this unique system to look for exotic new topological physics.  Dr. Davis is a part of the Quanta CREATE program, allowing for reduced TA loads, professional development activities, and special funding opportunities.  More info at: ualberta.ca/~jdavis, and ualberta.ca/science/programs/create/quanta.
Mark Freeman (Experimental Hybrid Nanosystems) is recruiting a graduate student to join our efforts in ‘spin mechanics’, aimed at obtaining a more complete understanding of phenomena like magnetic resonance (MRI) through the study of nanostructures having magnetic, mechanical, and optical degrees of freedom all coupled together.  Currently, we are revisiting the foundational test for angular momentum conservation in magnetic materials performed by Einstein and de Haas in 1915.  Extreme miniaturization of Einstein’s only experiment reveals new physics – as a result of the resonance frequencies of our nanomechanical sensors being so high (up to ten million times larger than for the macroscopic device used by Einstein and de Haas, so far), and on account of the magnetism itself being confined within very small geometries. We use the outstanding facilities of the UAlberta nanoFAB to create the nanodevices, and advanced infrastructure in our groups’ laboratories for conducting the experiments.  More information can be found at ualberta.ca/~freemanm or by contacting mark.freeman@ualberta.ca

Frank Hegmann (Experimental Condensed Matter Physics) is seeking one graduate student to explore ultrafast phenomena at the nanoscale using terahertz scanning tunneling microscopy (THz-STM). The Ultrafast Nanotools Lab and Ultrafast Spectroscopy Lab use femtosecond laser sources and picosecond-duration terahertz pulses to probe ultrafast dynamics and carrier transport in materials. This project would use THz-STM to study the photoexcitation dynamics of single semiconductor nanocrystals and single molecules on surfaces with sub-picosecond time resolution and sub-nanometer spatial resolution. E-mail: hegmann@ualberta.ca

Joseph Maciejko (Condensed Matter Theory) is looking for graduate students interested in researching emergent phenomena in quantum many-body systems. Areas of current interest include topological phases of matter, strongly correlated electrons, and quantum criticality. Homepage: ualberta.ca/~maciejko

Lindsay LeBlanc (Experimental AMO) is recruiting students to work in two areas: 1) the ultracold quantum gases (Bose-Einstein condensates) project to study the many-body physics of interacting particles, including those with non-trivial topologies; and 2) the atomic quantum memory and hybrid systems projects, where the light-matter interaction is controlled to store and manipulate quantum information, and to transfer it between photonic, microwave, and atomic degrees of freedom. Dr. LeBlanc is part of the Quanta CREATE program. More information can be found at https://sites.google.com/ualberta.ca/ultracold or by contacting lindsay.leblanc@ualberta.ca.

Frank Marsiglio (Condensed Matter Theory) is looking for graduate students interested in researching various aspects of many-body electron systems, including superconductivity, polaronic effects, and impacts of external fields and stimuli. Homepage: ualberta.ca/~fm3/

Al Meldrum (Photonics) is looking for a student interested in photonic materials development, microphotonic greenhouse gas sensors, and optical device development. The research tends to be application oriented in nature and the student will interact with chemists and engineers as well as physicists. Dr. Meldrum is part of the ATUMS CREATE program, which offers a way for students to expand their horizons via funded research exchanges with collaborating research groups at the Technical University of Munich. ameldrum@ualberta.ca

Robert Wolkow (Atom-Defined Silicon Binary and Quantum Circuitry) seeks a graduate student to take part in the building, exploration and commercial deployment of our newly discovered atom scale circuitry. See for example https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.166801published in Physical Review Letters and https://www.nature.com/articles/s41928-018-0180-3 published in Nature Electronics. These are the first working atomic electronic machines. Smaller, dramatically less energy consuming and enormously faster than end of the roadmap CMOS, these proof of concept entities open the door to a near term classical computing revolution while also pointing to a scalable approach to quantum circuitry.  Students gain business experience, remuneration and job prospects by working within Quantum Silicon Inc. in parallel with their studies. rwolkow@ualberta.ca

Michael Woodside (Experimental Biophysics) seeks students to study how the folding of proteins and RNA/DNA relates to biological function and disease. Students will use state-of-the-art single-molecule assays (optical tweezers, fluorescence, mass photometry), computational simulations, and ensemble biophysical methods to (1) study the fundamental physics of folding and test theory; (2) probe viral RNA structures that recode gene expression and target them to discover anti-viral drugs; (3) study misfolding mechanisms in neurodegeneration and test possible drugs; or (4) explore how evolution shapes folding via de novo protein design and ancestral protein reconstruction. Students will gain broad interdisciplinary experience leading to careers in a wide range of fields. For more information, see woodside-lab.physics.ualberta.ca/ or email michael.woodside@ualberta.ca.

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Announcing the MCM^®/ICM^® ZOOM Webinar
November 12, 2020, 9:00-10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

COMAP’S Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM) and Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling (ICM) are international contests open to undergraduate students of all disciplines. The MCM/ICM contest problems are designed to provide students with the opportunity to work as team members to engage in and improve their modeling, problem solving, and writing skills. Teams from your school apply mathematics to model and develop a solution to a real-world problem.

Each team can have up to three students, and there is no limit on the number of teams a school can register for the contest. For 2021, team members may work virtually. Teams work together on the contest problem over the extended weekend February 4-8, 2021.

Let the contests be part of your in-person, hybrid, or virtual classroom!

The Zoom webinar will include a 30 minute presentation, followed by a Question & Answer session. This is a great opportunity to introduce Students, Faculty, and Administrators to the MCM/ICM contests.

Topics covered:

Introduction and background
Benefits for you and your students
How to prepare for the contest
The anatomy of a good paper
Articles and Resources
Question and Answer session

Webinar Speakers

Solomon Garfunkel, Founder and Executive Director of COMAP Inc.
Amanda Beecher, Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling (ICM) director.
John Tomicek, COMAP Contest Coordinator for MCM, ICM, and HiMCM.

Register in advance for this webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_d0_hJZ-KQ0KK7DebWxKxcw

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Brought to you by two Carls – William Lyons ’72 (William.Lyons@dot.gov) & Benjamin Rasmusson ’99 (Benjamin.Rasmussen@dot.gov). This is a great internship program (paid) at the US Department of Transportation Volpe research and development center in Cambridge, MA. It’s a great opportunity for undergraduates or recent graduates continuing to graduate programs with an interest in transportation policy, planning, engineering, data analytics/GIS, technology, urban design, and even international development.