Opportunities for Undergraduate Research 

There are usually opportunities for undergraduates to become involved in my research, either for course credit or for pay, but mostly for the experience. Undergraduates typically work on projects in support of our primary research. The projects may entail designing, building, maintaining and testing equipment, developing experimental methods, or carrying out preliminary experiments.  Some students also carry out complete experiments, sometimes resulting in student-authored articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Students in my lab develop skills in mechanical design and construction, electronics, optics, and vacuum technology. More importantly, they develop skills that are invaluable in any field or career: how to plan, how to analyze and solve problems, how to cope with the unexpected, and how to communicate effectively orally and in writing.  My research students have gone on to graduate school at Yale and MIT, and to Tufts Medical School.

You do not need to be a physics major, or to get A's in your physics courses, though some knowledge of physics is definitely helpful. I have worked with biology, math, engineering and anthropology majors. Crucial qualities include eagerness to learn, willingness to ask questions, persistence, independence, and a willingness to get your hands dirty.

Some projects carried out by undergraduates in recent years:

• Published research on the growth of thin metal films.
• Design and construction of a high vacuum evaporator,
• Development of a method for heating samples with high-energy electrons,
• Design and construction of control electronics for a diode laser,
• Optical reflectance studies of adsorption and thin-film deposition, including building and testing the equipment
• Design, assembly and testing of a high-vacuum diffusion pump system.

Read the comments of some students who have worked with me in the past. 

For summer research, consider applying to the Tufts Summer Scholars Program.  The application deadline is generally in early March.

If you are interested, please get in touch with me and set up a time to visit the lab and talk about it.