Undergraduate Research
in the
Department of Physics
The UTRA program provides opportunities for collaborative work between students and faculty members and allows students to gain insight into the structure of academic work in a particular field.
Current Openings Current Research Past Research
Astrophysics & Cosmology:
Prof. Ian Dell’Antonio: Distribution of dark matter in the Universe and the evolution of the dark energy density using gravitational lensing and other astrophysical techniques. Opening available for summer 2008, AY 2008-2009.
Prof. Hendrik Gerritsen: Research position available involving ancient ethnic astronomy for summer '08. Student must apply for UTRA funding.
Prof. Greg Tucker: Research in this lab is focused on making measurements of the early universe, and, in particular, the polarization of cosmic microwave background and the very earliest galaxies to have formed after the Big Bang. Openings for summer 2008 and the 2008-2009 AY.
Biological Physics:
Prof. Jay Tang: Seeking talented and enthusiastic undergraduates to participate research on bacterial swimming and cell crawling. Work involves experiments using various microscopy techniques, as well as computer modeling and simulations.
Condensed Matter Experiment:
Prof. Gang Xiao: Research: fabrication, characterization, and study of magnetic tunneling junctions and spintronic systems. Current openings available for 2-3 undergraduates interested in working on various research projects, starting immediately, for at least one year (maybe more). Students have to be US citizen or permanent resident. If not, he or she will need to apply for UTRA for the summer.
Condensed Matter Theory:
Prof. Brad Marston: Current opening for an undergraduate to work on a climate modeling project. Familiarity with basic physics and the ability to program computers is required. Please visit http://www.brown.edu/Research/ECI/activities/opportunities.html for more information.
Elementary Particle Experiment:
Explore nature's high energy frontier by becoming involved in experimental particle physics, with funded research opportunities on the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider and the CMS detector at the Large Hadron Collider, including visits to Fermilab and CERN and hands-on detector work and data analysis, available both in the summer and during the academic year; to discuss these possibilities contact Profs. Dave Cutts, Meenakshi Narain, or Greg Landsberg.
Elementary Particle Theory:
Prof. Marcus Spradlin: Theoretical particle physics and string theory; Our goal is to implement new algorithms for efficient calculation of certain multi-loop Feynman diagrams on a supercomputer cluster.
Prof. Chung-I Tan: Various projects toward understanding high energy hadron collisions based on gauge/string duality. These efforts not only pose a sharp theoretical challenge, they also have significant phenomenological consequences, e.g., physics at the LHC.
Edward Baker 2008 |
On the Dynamics of Particles Near Space-Like Singularities |
Prof. Lowe |
Daniel Butler 2009 |
Neural Networks for Particle Discrimination in the XENON10 Detector |
Prof. Gaitskell |
Simon Buttrick 2009 |
Nanopore Barcoding of DNA/Protein Complexes |
Prof. Stein |
John Cucco 2009 |
Testing Cluster Effects on Mass Reconstructions |
Prof. Dell'Antonio |
Deepa Galaiya 2008 |
Physical Characterization and Modeling of Superhelical Actin Bundles |
Prof. Tang |
Amandeep Gill 2008 |
Black Holes Near and Far |
Prof. Dell'Antonio |
John Keller 2008 |
Research in Particle Physics |
Prof. Cutts |
Miriam Klein 2009 |
Spectroscopy of Lensing Cluster Galaxies |
Prof. Dell’Antonio |
Noah Levin 2010 |
Development of Photomultiplier Tube Detector Array for LUXcore Experiment |
Prof. Gaitskell |
Michael Mak 2008 |
Microrheology of F-Actin Networks Using Optical Tweezers |
Prof. Tang |
Taylor Newton 2008 |
Duality in String Theory and N=4 Super Yang-Mills Theory |
Prof. Spradlin |
Andrew Potter 2008 |
Interferometry with anyons |
Prof. Feldman |
Reshma Ramachandran |
The Behavior of Ultra-Confined DNA Molecules |
Prof. Stein |
Stefan Schaffer 2009 |
Electronic DNA Analysis Using Solid-State Nanopores |
Prof. Stein |
Michael Schwarz 2008 |
Liquid Crystal Modeling |
Prof. Pelcovits |
Aaron Weinstein 2009 |
Development in LUXcore and the Search for Dark Matter |
Prof. Gaitskell |
Adam Backer 2008 |
Liquid Crystal Modeling |
Prof. Pelcovits |
Edward Baker 2008 |
Analysis for the XENON10 Detector in the Gran Sasso National Laboratory |
Prof. Gaitskell |
Gregory Hebert 2008 |
Superconducting Ring on a Cantilever at f=1/2 |
Prof. Ling |
Angus McMullen 2008 |
Superconducting Ring on a Cantilever at f=1/2 |
Prof. Ling |
Hannah Singer 2009 |
Searching for the Earliest Galaxies in the Deep Lens Survey |
Prof. Dell’Antonio |
Lick-Kong Tam 2007 |
Discrete Rotation Steps in Bacterial Flagellar Motor of Aaulobacter Crescentus |
Prof. Tang |
Hiroaki Tanaka 2008 |
Guided Study in Quantum Gravity |
Prof. Guralnik |
Amalia Telbis 2007 |
Quantitative Comparison of Magnetic Field Imaging Methods: Magnetic Force Microscopy and Scanning Magnetoresistive Imaging |
Prof. Xiao |
Scott Wolin 2007 |
Silicon Detector Construction and Optimizing Triggers for the CMS Experiment at the CERN LHC |
Prof. Landsberg |
Chin Lin Wong 2007 |
EBEX Star Camera |
Prof. Tucker |
