As an educator and scientist, I strive to cultivate an engaging, inclusive, and equitable environment where students can thrive and develop the skills to succeed. My teaching philosophy is anchored in three core principles: genuine enthusiasm for teaching and learning, leveraging modern teaching methods, and lowering barriers to education. Since the world of education is always evolving, I will be continuously learning and adapting my methods as my experience grows and new research comes to light. These principles guide my approach to motivate, engage, and enable student learning.

Enthusiasm is the cornerstone of my teaching approach. From my earliest experiences as a student to teaching lessons in applied solid-state physics, I have learned that passion and energy are contagious. When students witness genuine excitement about a subject, it inspires them to engage more deeply and pursue their own curiosity. My goal is to bring that enthusiasm to every lesson, whether introducing foundational principles in a lower-division physics course or guiding students through the complexities of advanced theoretical physics.

Modern methods play a critical role in helping students grasp challenging concepts, connect abstract theory to practical applications, and learn modern scientific methods. I utilize interactive online and digital tools, for example Langevin simulations in python and online optical tweezer demonstrations for advanced biophysics students. This provides students with hands-on opportunities to explore theoretical models and modern research methods. These tools not only deepen understanding but also prepare students for the increasingly computational and interdisciplinary nature of modern science. As our understanding of education grows, I will continue to adapt my teaching techniques to align with best practices I will learn by attending continuing education workshops.

Lowering barriers to learning is essential to creating equitable educational experiences. I recognize the diverse challenges students face, including varying educational backgrounds, language barriers, and socioeconomic pressures. To facilitate learning for all students, I will provide opportunities for students to interact with me and the course material in whatever method is most comfortable to them. This will take the form of direct in-person office hours, online office hours, written communication and feedback, detailed notes, and forming study groups. I will attend workshops and seek expert advice, contribute as an active member to improve accessibility on best practices for ensuring a safe and equitable environment for all. By fostering an inclusive environment, I ensure all students feel valued and capable of achieving their goals.

For the winter 2026 semester I am an instructor for applied solid-state physics at the University of British Columbia: PHYS_V - 474: Applied Solid State Physics | UBC Academic Calendar 

Guest lecturer on nonequilibrium statistical mechanics in winter 2025.

Learning more about stochastic thermodynamics:

Every year there is a free online workshop on stochastic thermodynamics (WOST). The website https://wostmeeting.org/ has links to video from previous years, including tutorials that are held on the first days of the workshop. This can give you a feel for current trends in the field.

The review articles listed below are a good place to get started and the original articles by Jarzynski and Crooks are relatively concise. For more fun topics I have included articles from our friends at SFU on the Mpemba effect and Maxwell’s demon as well as the quantum counterparts for those more QM inclined. For a more in-depth look Stochastic Thermodynamics: An Introduction is a relatively new textbook covering modern stochastic thermodynamics, the others are probably best used as references for specific topics and mathematical relations.

Review Articles:

Seifert, Udo. "Stochastic thermodynamics, fluctuation theorems and molecular machines." Reports on progress in physics 75.12 (2012): 126001. https://doi.org/10.1088/0034-4885/75/12/126001

Jarzynski, Christopher. "Equalities and Inequalities: Irreversibility and the Second Law of Thermodynamics at the Nanoscale." Annu. Rev. Condens. Matter Phys 2 (2011): 329-51. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-conmatphys-062910-140506

Original Articles by Jarzynski and Crooks

Jarzynski, Christopher. "Nonequilibrium equality for free energy differences." Physical Review Letters 78.14 (1997): 2690. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.78.2690

Crooks, Gavin E. "Entropy production fluctuation theorem and the nonequilibrium work relation for free energy differences." Physical Review E 60.3 (1999): 2721. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.60.2721

Mpemba Effect (Hot cools faster than cold?)

Kumar, Avinash, and John Bechhoefer. "Exponentially faster cooling in a colloidal system." Nature 584.7819 (2020): 64-68. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2560-x

Moroder, Mattia, et al. "Thermodynamics of the quantum mpemba effect." Physical Review Letters 133.14 (2024): 140404. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.140404

Lu, Zhiyue, and Oren Raz. "Nonequilibrium thermodynamics of the Markovian Mpemba effect and its inverse." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114.20 (2017): 5083-5088. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1701264114

Maxwell’s Demon (Extracting energy with no work?)

Saha, Tushar K., et al. "Maximizing power and velocity of an information engine." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118.20 (2021): e2023356118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2023356118

Cottet, Nathanaël, et al. "Observing a quantum Maxwell demon at work." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114.29 (2017): 7561-7564. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1704827114

Textbooks:

Stochastic Thermodynamics: An Introduction by Luca Peliti and Simone Pigolotti. New textbook. Chapter 4 covers the main topics covered in lecture

Handbook of Stochastic Methods by CW Gardiner

Stochastic Processes in Physics and Chemistry by N.G. Van Kampen

Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics by Robert Zwanzig