Presenter and Organizer Bios

Christine Aidala is a physics professor who performs experimental research at large accelerator facilities to study the strong nuclear force, and she also does theoretical research studying the mathematical foundations of physics. She enjoys playing music, biking, and gardening 

Claire is a 6th year PhD candidate in physics. She earned her B.S. in Physics and Applied Mathematics in 2018 from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and her M.S. in Physics from the University of Michigan in 2020. She is researching organic optoelectronic devices, including photovoltaics and light-emitting diodes. When not in the lab, she enjoys running, crossword puzzles, and experimenting with new hobbies. 

Cynthia is a 6th-year Ph.D. candidate at the University of Michigan. She earned her M.S. in Physics from the University of Michigan in 2020, and her B.S. in Physics with an astronomy minor and a track in physics education (along with teaching certifications for the state of Florida) from Florida International University in 2018. Her research interests are focused on high-energy particle and nuclear experiments, where she has worked in studying spin in quantum chromodynamics, and is part of the Large Hadron Collider beauty experiment. Originally born in Santa Clara, Cuba, Cynthia enjoys dancing, gardening, cooking, and exploring the dynamic world with her two-year-old daughter. 

Gabriela is a 5th year Ph.D. candidate at the University of Michigan. She is originally from Brazil, where she obtained a B.S. and M.S. in Physics from the University of São Paulo researching applications of superconducting qubits to quantum thermodynamics. Now her research is focused on theoretical Biophysics, in specific to investigating how noise affects the function of living systems.

James is a junior at the University of Michigan studying Physics. He currently serves as the Secretary for the Society of Physics Students and the student assistant for the Physics DEI Committee at the Univeristy of Michigan. He enjoys taking time off from homework and studying by catching up on sleep, cooking new kinds of food, and playing board games with friends.

Jennifer P. Ogilvie is a Professor in the Physics Department at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She received her B.Sc. from the University of Waterloo, her M.Sc. degree from Simon Fraser University, Canada, and her Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Toronto, Canada. She was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Laboratory for Optics and Biosciences at the Ecole Polytechnique. Ogilvie’s group develops multidimensional spectroscopy and imaging methods and applies them to studies of ultrafast energy transfer and charge separation in natural and artificial photosynthetic systems.  She is a Sloan Fellow and a Fellow of the Optical Society of America.

Website: https://www.ogilviegroup.org

Katie Ream is a junior at the University of Michigan studying physics with a minor in music and is the current Advocacy chair for Society of Physics Students at UMich. She is most interested in high energy particle physics experiments and currently does research under Joshua Spitz working with paleodetectors and hopes to apply to graduate school and study neutrino physics.

Max is a 4th year Physics PhD student at the University of Michigan. He graduated with a BA in Physics from Princeton in 2020, and his research interests since have wandered from astrophysics to high energy theory, but he now mostly works on using physics ideas to explore networky data problems. 

Monica Tecchio is a Research Scientist at the University of Michigan Physics Department. She studies rare decay processes, and specializes in designing the trigger and readout systems of high energy detectors in large accelerator facilities. She enjoys travelling and cooking. 

Na Hyun Jo is a Norman M. Leff Assistant Professor of Physics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is an experimental condensed matter physicist. Her research interest is studying exotic physics via novel materials. As each material system is like a small universe full of its unique mysteries, we gain new insights by discovering, understanding, and manipulating new materials. In the process, nature always gives us more challenges and shows us a new direction to study.

Na Hyun Jo did her Ph.D. in Physics at Iowa State University. She did her postdoctoral research at Ames National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Nora is a 5th year Ph.D. candidate in Physics studying the optical counterparts to binary mergers, including neutron stars and black holes. She received her B.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2019. When not probing dark energy with massive collisions, she enjoys archery, knitting, and, recently, embroidery.

Ruiqi is an DEI undergraduate student assistant. She majors in physics and women's and gender studies. She likes karate, cooking & eating, reading, and learning languages.

Vanessa Sih is a physics professor who teaches physics and uses pulsed lasers in her research to investigate electron spin dynamics in semiconductors.  She enjoys reading, running, and going to the gym.

Ashley Carter '02 is an Associate Professor of Physics at Amherst College. She graduated from UM with a BS in Physics and a BSE in Engineering Physics. Her undergraduate thesis was in particle physics with Myron Campbell on the Collider Detector at Fermilab experiment. She received her PhD in Physics from the University of Colorado where she worked on a biophysics project to measure how molecular motors within the cell move along DNA. At Amherst, she runs a group with 10 intrepid undergraduates and works on projects in soft condensed matter on the physics of DNA folding. She is an advocate for undergraduate research and project-based physics laboratory education.

Ariana is a 5th year PhD candidate in the Applied Physics program at the University of Michigan. She conducts her research in the Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering (CLaSP) Department and is currently a NASA fellow. She earned her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Physics from Florida International University. She also earned her M.Eng in Space Engineering from the University of Michigan in 2023 and is pursuing her graduate certificate in Latina/o Studies. Her research is focused on lunar science and instrumentation where she works on developing an instrument to study plume surface interactions on the Moon. Ariana is also very passionate about STEM outreach and DEI initiatives. She is president of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Graduate Chapter and is co-president for Puentes, the latinx graduate student org on campus. Ariana was born in Ecuador to Peruvian and Bolivian parents and grew up in Miami, FL. Ariana enjoys being creative, playing sports and spending time with her dog, Obi.

Dr. Avestruz's research interests span astrophysics, cosmology, and computation. Dr. Avestruz uses simulations to make robust predictions and interpretations of observations of large-scale cosmic structure. Her primary focus is to understand the evolution of clusters of galaxies, the most massive gravitationally collapsed structures in our universe, comprised of hundreds to thousands of galaxies. Other aspects of her work prepare for the next decade of observations, which will produce unprecedented volumes of data. Dr. Avestruz incorporates big data methods, including machine learning, to extract gravitational lensing signatures that probe the mass distribution of massive galaxies and galaxy clusters.

Dr. Avestruz is passionate about making STEM accessible to those who have been historically excluded from the sciences and the academy. She has taught software and computation workshops to a variety of audiences ranging from undergraduate Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) groups to societies promoting the advancement of underrepresented minorities in STEM. She has also engaged in public outreach, believing that intellectual exchange is not and should not be isolated within the walls and members of higher education. This includes teaching labs to students from local middle and high schools and giving public talks at Astronomy on Tap and to underserved elderly communities.

Carolyn Kuranz received her AB in Physics from Bryn Mawr College and a PhD in Applied Physics from the University of Michigan, where her graduate research focused on hydrodynamic instability experiments in the high-energy-density regime at the Omega Laser Facility. Following her PhD, she conducted research on uncertainty quantification in radiative shock experiments and simulations as part of the Center for Radiative Shock Hydrodynamics, which involved work at the Omega Laser Facility. In 2009, she led one of the first academic campaigns at the National Ignition Facility exploring the effects of radiation on hydrodynamic instability growth relevant to red supergiant, core-collapse supernovae. Currently, Kuranz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences and the Faculty Advisor for the Engineering Physics Program at the University of Michigan. She is the Director of the Center for High Energy Density Laboratory Astrophysics Research, an NNSA Center of Excellence, and the Director of Education and the Director of Education and Outreach for the ZEUS Laser Facility. Her research focuses on astrophysically relevant high energy density physics, using a combination of theory, computation, and experiment, with a focus on magnetohydrodynamics, complex hydrodynamics, and radiation hydrodynamics. She has been a primary investigator on grants from the NNSA, National Science Foundation, Office of Science Fusion Energy Sciences, and Department of Defense, and has authored over 130 papers on plasma science resulting in an h-index of 32. She has led and participated in experiments at various facilities around the world, including the NIF, the Omega Laser Facility, Z machine, ORION, the BELLA Facility, the Jupiter Laser Facility, MAIZE, LULI, and the Big Red Ball. Kuranz has also served the plasma physics community in various leadership positions, including as the inaugural chair of the Jupiter Laser Facility, a member of the Executive Committee of the Omega Laser User Group, and member of the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee. In 2019, she became a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Kuranz is also committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is a member of the DEI Organizing Community Collective, a DPP Ally, and a former member of the W+IPP Executive Committee. She has participated in training workshops on Psychological Safety and the Undoing Racism workshop from the People’s Institute. She also facilitates workshops on bystander intervention regarding Anti-Black Racism.

Cassandra (Cassie) Little is a 4th year Ph.D. candidate at the University of Michigan. She earned her M.S. in Physics from the University of Michigan in 2023, and her B.S. in Physics with a minor in Mathematics from the University of Houston in 2020. Her research focuses on neutrinos and is part of the JSNS^2 (J-PARC Sterile Neutrino Search at J-PARC Spallation Neutron Source) collaboration. She serves as the secretary for the University of Michigan's chapter of the National Society of Black Physicists and as a member of the Physics Graduate Council. In her free time, Cassie enjoys hiking, baking, and travelling.

Dr. Chelsea Hendrus is currently a lecturer at The Ohio State University. She obtained her PhD in Physics from the University of Michigan in 2023, studying neutron polarization, beta decay and the weak interaction, however, her true passion is education. Alongside her PhD, she also pursued a certificate in Museum Studies, and plans to use it to continue studying informal physics education at COSI. As an undergraduate, she studied physics, minored in French, and spent her summers as a theatrical stage manager. She has dabbled in many different research areas, including polymer engineering, statistical mechanics, and physical methods in art and monument conservation. 

Christine Aidala is a physics professor who performs experimental research at large accelerator facilities to study the strong nuclear force, and she also does theoretical research studying the mathematical foundations of physics. She enjoys playing music, biking, and gardening.

Claire is a 6th year Physics PhD candidate working for Prof. Stephen Forrest in the Optoelectronic Components and Materials group. She holds a B.S. in Physics and Applied Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an M.S. in Physics from the University of Michigan. Her research utilizes both quantitative and engineering methods to better understand the physics of light emission in organic electronic devices, including light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and photovoltaics. Most recently, Claire has been studying methods for improving the efficiency of organic LEDs by increasing the coupling between emitted photons and visible optical modes. Claire is passionate about increasing access to science education and research; her activism focuses primarily on the avenues of equity in graduate education and housing access. When not in the lab Claire enjoys running, skiing, doing crossword puzzles while drinking coffee, and experimenting with new hobbies. Her newest experiment is attempting to knit a sock.

Cynthia Aku-Leh is a Research Scientist at ISciences LLC, Ann Arbor, Michigan. She conducts research and development and has worked on various projects including improving reflectance models. Prior to joining the team at ISciences, she worked at the Max Born Institute in Berlin in the division of Femtosecond Spectroscopy of Solids. Before this, she was employed by both Kings College of London and the Institute des Nanoscience in Paris as a postdoc. She worked on spin-polarized electron gasses in semi-magnetic quantum wells.

Cynthia received her Ph. D. from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI, in experimental condensed matter physics. Outside of research, Cynthia has taught as an Adjunct Faculty at Baker College. She has worked as a volunteer for various groups.

Photo by Jens Zorn.

Cynthia is a 6th-year Ph.D. candidate at the University of Michigan. She earned her M.S. in Physics from the University of Michigan in 2020, and her B.S. in Physics with an astronomy minor and a track in physics education (along with teaching certifications for the state of Florida) from Florida International University in 2018. Her research interests are focused on high-energy particle and nuclear experiments, where she has worked in studying spin in quantum chromodynamics, and is part of the Large Hadron Collider beauty experiment. Originally born in Santa Clara, Cuba, Cynthia enjoys dancing, gardening, cooking, and exploring the dynamic world with her two-year-old daughter.

Demet Usanmaz is an Assistant Professor of Physics in the Department of Natural Sciences at the Kettering University. Her research focuses on using computational tools and models to design new materials for clean and renewable energy and spintronics applications. She earned her Ph.D. in Physics at Gazi University in Turkey and moved to the University of Exeter, UK as a postdoctoral researcher. Before her current position, she was a postdoctoral associate at the Center for Autonomous Materials Design at Duke University.

Elizabeth L. Covington received her Ph.D. in physics and completed her residency in medical physics from the University of Michigan. She spent five years on the faculty of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham before returning to Michigan Medicine where she serves as the Director of Quality and Safety in the Department of Radiation Oncology. She serves on several national committees regarding quality and safety and big data efforts in oncology. Dr. Covington has grant funding to develop automated workflows for monitoring health equity in radiation oncology. She has research interests in studying the impacts of social determinants of health in radiation oncology, the use of surface-guided radiotherapy in stereotactic radiosurgery, and the development and implementation of standards to facilitate big data and automation.

Jennifer P. Ogilvie is a Professor in the Physics Department at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She received her B.Sc. from the University of Waterloo, her M.Sc. degree from Simon Fraser University, Canada, and her Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Toronto, Canada. She was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Laboratory for Optics and Biosciences at the Ecole Polytechnique. Ogilvie’s group develops multidimensional spectroscopy and imaging methods and applies them to studies of ultrafast energy transfer and charge separation in natural and artificial photosynthetic systems.  She is a Sloan Fellow and a Fellow of the Optical Society of America.

Website: https://www.ogilviegroup.org 

Kate Napier is completing her final year of her PhD in Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Michigan.  She researches strong gravitational lensing (check out the first image from the JWST) and is advised by Professor Keren Sharon.  In graduate school, Kate has observed with the 6.5-meter Magellan Telescopes in Chile.  Kate analyzes data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory.  She is the Principal Investigator of an HST + Chandra program that is underway.  Alongside her PhD, Kate has pursued a master’s degree in space engineering.  As Kate advances to the next stage of her career, she wants to bridge astrophysics and engineering.  Kate’s ultimate dream has always been to be an astronaut.  Next time the application opens, she will apply!

Kate grew up in Atlanta and went to college at Georgia Tech.  In college, Kate participated in a heliophysics REU program at Marshall Space Flight Center.  She interned for two summers at NASA Ames Research Center.  One of the highlights of Kate’s time in the physics department at Georgia Tech was helping organize CUWiP.  Kate introduced Dr. Jane Rigby at the conference, and she is now one of Kate’s collaborators and the Senior Project Scientist for the JWST.  Someone you meet at CUWiP may influence your life in ways you don’t yet imagine!     

Kate believes deeply that astronomy and physics are for everyone, and she actively works to dismantle barriers that prevent people from reaching their full potential in STEM.  Outside of school, Kate loves ballet, scuba diving, hiking, and art.  

Dr. Kelly Vazquez is an Assistant Professor of Engineering in the department of Physics and Engineering at Wheaton College. Trained as a physicist, Dr. Vazquez completed her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she established a true love for interdisciplinary research. Following her PhD, she conducted her postdoctoral work at the renowned Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes on the University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus in islet cell biology.  During her career, she has been awarded grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Children's Diabetes Foundation, and has conducted research at both Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory.  Dr. Vazquez earned her undergraduate bachelor’s degree in Physics, and both a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

As a passionate scientist and engineer, she is dedicated to find innovative treatments to help fight autoimmune diseases such as diabetes.  Her research work focuses on the mechanisms behind diabetes progression from an engineering perspective by studying the biomechanical influence on the function of the pancreatic islet in healthy and diseased models.  Overall, it is her greatest aspiration to see more first generation, minority, and women scientists, such as herself, pursue a career in STEM. Therefore, her enthusiasm for teaching and mentorship, coupled with her passion for science, has motivated her to pursue a career as a professor and mentor new scientists.

I'm an Associate Professor, Associate Chair, and Director of the Undergraduate Program at the University of Michigan Department of Astronomy. I am honored to be one of the first recipients of the University of Michigan's President's Postdoctoral Fellowship.

I graduated from Tel Aviv University Astrophysics in 2009; I was awarded a Kavli fellowship and was a postdoc at the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago. My current research, at the University of Michigan, uses strong gravitational lensing to measure the mass distribution of clusters of galaxies (most of which is dark matter), and using these strong lensing clusters as cosmic telescopes. Galaxy clusters are so massive that they magnify the galaxies behind them, making galaxies that we otherwise couldn't see large and bright enough for us to study in great detail. This helps us understand processes of star formation and galaxy evolution at a time when the Universe was a small fraction of its current age.

Lesley graduated with her Ph.D. in Physics in 2023. Her research is primarily in theoretical physics, focusing on null Lagrangians. She enjoys spending time with her cat, reading, gardening, baking, and visiting local coffee shops.

Monica Tecchio is a Research Scientist at the University of Michigan Physics Department. She studies rare decay processes, and specializes in designing the trigger and readout systems of high energy detectors in large accelerator facilities. She enjoys travelling and cooking.

Monika Wood has worked for the University of Michigan since 2010 in the Physics Lecture Demonstration Laboratory, where she became the manager of the lab in 2016.  The Demo Lab’s mission is to help make physics accessible to everyone. We support professors by supplementing their lectures with physics apparatus to provide context and student engagement.  Our reach goes beyond the classroom with the continued support for student outreach groups as they engage school-aged children in the area.  Through the pandemic, Monika and her team have put together a digital library of many of the demonstrations used in class accessible through their YouTube page UMDemoLab.  

Monika graduated from Eastern Michigan University with her Master’s Degree in Physics in 2015 where she had the opportunity to perform research at the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) facility in Gakona, AK.  Using the high-power HF transmitter to generate and study strong Langmuir turbulence in the interaction region of over-dense ionospheric plasma.

When she is not working in the lab, Monika enjoys spending time outside gardening, at the lake, walking through the woods with her dogs, or curling up next to the fire playing video games with her husband and son.

Na Hyun Jo is a Norman M. Leff Assistant Professor of Physics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is an experimental condensed matter physicist. Her research interest is studying exotic physics via novel materials. As each material system is like a small universe full of its unique mysteries, we gain new insights by discovering, understanding, and manipulating new materials. In the process, nature always gives us more challenges and shows us a new direction to study.

Na Hyun Jo did her Ph.D. in Physics at Iowa State University. She did her postdoctoral research at Ames National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Rachel has an undergraduate degree in Physics from Northwestern University and a Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She specializes in semiconductor materials development. After her Ph.D. she worked for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems leading a team of engineers and technicians on III-V semiconductor materials development for millimeter wave integrated circuits (mmics) for satellites. After landing in Ann Arbor for her husband to start a professor position at the University of Michigan, Rachel joined the R&D group at Guardian Glass, a multinational window glass manufacturer. There, Rachel developed new processes and products for energy efficient coatings on large area window glass for many markets globally. As gas prices increased in Europe in 2022, Rachel shifted her focus to reduce emissions and energy consumption of the energy intensive glass making process. Next, Rachel moved to the University of Michigan to work with Professor Stephen Forrest on semitransparent organic photovoltaics. Currently Rachel is a device research manager at First Solar, the largest domestic solar manufacturer and only established thin film solar manufacturer globally. There, Rachel works on the next generation of CdTe solar cells as well as novel thin film technologies.

Raziq Noorali (He/They) is a 4th year Ph.D Candidate in Physics and a proud officer of GEO 3550 - the graduate worker union at UM. His research interests range from multiwavelength galaxy cluster cosmology to physics education. Throughout his educational journey, he has contributed to a variety of efforts furthering the advancement of underrepresented minorities in STEM fields - leading to his overall career goal of teaching physics in minority serving institutions.  

Riley Sechrist is a research scientist at Michigan Tech Research Institute where they work on a variety of projects related to machine learning and sensor fusion. They studied physics as an undergraduate at Denison University and graduated from the University of Michigan with a phd in physics in 2021. Riley's thesis work was in experimental spectroscopy of photosynthetic systems.

As a graduate student, Riley helped to organize workshops on making physics more inclusive for LGBT+ and Autistic scientists, among others. They enjoy running, crocheting, and spending time with their cat, Bernadette.

Rhiannon is a 7th-year physics PhD candidate at the University of Michigan. She earned her M.S. in physics at the University of Michigan in 2018, and she earned her B.S. from Alma College in 2017, with a dual major in physics and mathematics, and a minor in dance.

Currently, Rhiannon is completing her PhD research in the lab of Dr. Jennifer P. Ogilvie, where she studies energy and charge transfer in photosynthetic proteins, using ultrafast pulsed lasers. This work aims to enable the development of more efficient photovoltaics.

Rhiannon loves physics, but not the culture that gatekeeps it. Sexism, racism, transphobia, colonialism, and intolerance of neurodivergent folk make the field inhospitable to so many of us—perhaps the very folk who could be doing the most meaningful and transformative research! Rhiannon is passionate about physics education, and she works to unravel this unjust culture, beginning in the classroom. Rhiannon loves nature and the environment, and she believes that both scientific knowledge and traditional knowledge are equally valuable—and that both are essential in mitigating the worsening climate catastrophe. She dreams of a future beyond diversity & inclusion, where the field of physics fully appreciates and prioritizes the unique knowledge, insights, skills, and goals that marginalized people hold.

Outside of physics, Rhiannon loves roller skating, dancing, listening to music, writing poetry, learning languages, advocating for trans rights, repairing cars, building and creating with her hands, baking, exploring nature, and crying in the river.

Sarah Nuss-Warren is the sole proprietor of SNW Data Analysis, LLC.  Prior to founding this company in 2022, she worked at the Savant Group in Midland, Michigan for nearly 10 years.  There she helped to design laboratory tests and test equipment and to validate the tests and equipment using statistical and other experimental and data analysis techniques.  Since 2013 she has been involved in developing standards for the measurement of physical and chemical properties of petroleum products as a part of the ASTM D02 committee.  Previously, she worked as a researcher looking at the emissions of natural gas production engines and at properties of atoms that would reveal beyond-the-standard-model physics. She also taught high school physics and chemistry.  Sarah holds an M.S. in physics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a B.A. in physics from Grinnell College. 

Shubha Tewari is Senior Lecturer II in Physics and the Director of the STEM Education Institute at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  A theoretical condensed matter physicist, she uses computer simulation methods to study the collective behavior of soft matter systems such as granular materials and foams. Most of her research these days is done in collaboration with undergraduates, something she greatly enjoys.

Shubha got her Masters’ degree in Physics at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, India, her PhD at the University of California, Los Angeles, and did postdoctoral work at the University of Virginia. As an instructor, Shubha is deeply interested in improving the classroom experience for students using active learning methods. She is an NRMN-trained mentor and mentoring-workshop facilitator, and an enthusiastic organizer of outreach activities for the scientifically curious of all ages. Shubha is currently Chair of the National Organizing Committee for CUWiP.

Stephanie Lauback is an assistant professor of physics at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan. She began teaching at Hillsdale College in the fall of 2020. She loves enabling students to see and appreciate the beauty of our world through physics and mentoring students as they seek direction during this pivotal time in their life. Her current research focuses on controlling microstructures and DNA nanostructures using magnetic fields, all of which are foundational to the advancement of many biomedical devices and nanotechnologies. Prior to joining the faculty at Hillsdale College, she was an assistant professor at Juniata College for three years. Dr. Lauback earned her Ph.D. in physics at The Ohio State University in 2017. During her time at OSU she conducted a wide array of interdisciplinary projects, including characterization of magnetic thin films, development of a bacterial protein pen, and actuation of DNA nanomachines. Dr. Lauback completed her undergraduate degree in physics at Ohio Northern University in 2012.

Vanessa Sih is a Professor of Physics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.  She is a condensed-matter experimentalist who uses optical pump-probe measurements to study electron and nuclear spin dynamics in semiconductors.  She served as the Associate Chair for the Physics Graduate Program at Michigan from July 2017 to July 2023.

Vanessa was an undergraduate at Caltech, received her Ph.D. in Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and also conducted research at Intel and Stanford. 

Veronica is a 7th year physics PhD candidate at Wayne State University and received her B.S. in Physics from Wayne State in 2016. She works on high-energy experimental nuclear physics studying jets and heavy-ion collisions. She is a member of the STAR and sPHENIX experiments at Brookhaven National Laboratory and enjoys working with software and hardware in addition to analyzing data. She is a founding member of Wayne State's SUPER (Society for Underrepresented Physics Educators and Researchers). In her free time, she enjoys gardening, music, gaming, and her pets.

Xiwen Gong is an assistant professor of Chemical Engineering, and by courtesy an assistant professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Macromolecular Science & Engineering, and Applied Physics. Xiwen currently serves as an Associate Editor for ACS Photonics and serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of ACS Applied Electronic Materials.

Xiwen joined the University of Michigan in 2021. Before that, Xiwen worked as a post-doctoral fellow with Zhenan Bao at the Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University (2018-2020). At Stanford, Xiwen focused on developing soft and stretchable semiconductors and devices for wearable electronics (inSPIREd Talk). Xiwen gained her PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering with Ted Sargent at the University of Toronto. During her PhD (2014-2018), Xiwen focused on the design of novel materials for solar energy harvesting, light emitting, and sensing.

Xiwen was the recipient of the Extraordinary Potential Prize and the “Rising Stars in EECS 2017” (Stanford University), Inspiring Women in Science (runner-up, scientific achievement category) by Nature (2023), NSF CAREER award (2024). She is a senior Schmidt Science Fellow (inaugural) and Amazon Physical Science Fellow.