Tyler C. Sterling

About me

Hi there. I am a Texas redneck turned physicist. I grew up doing fabrication and tractor stuff. This led me to want to be an engineer. While working on my undergrad degree in manufacturing engineering, I realized my passion for materials science. I got my undergrad degree in 2016 and entered a PhD program for materials science in 2017. I eventually transferred into full-blown physics in 2019. I received my PhD in physics in 2024 from the University of Colorado Boulder with Dmitry Reznik and am currently a postdoc in the same lab. 

I do basic science focused on lattice vibrations. In less technical terms, I study crystals and vibes. 

Experimentalists call me a theorist; theorists call me an experimentalist. I combine diffuse and inelastic neutron scattering with modelling (usually computational) to make sense of experimental anomalies. Nowadays, neutron scattering is blurring into big data so I am also a skilled data wrangler and analyst.  Inspired by these projects, I have taken a recent interest in developing numerical algorithms for electronic structure calculations. 

Outside of science, I hike, mountain bike, lift weights, do photography, and make silly videos. I have also been known to produce whimsical art including linocut printing and occasionally leather craft. For some of my digital drawings  see here