Keynote speaker

Nadya Mason
Professor of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Ph.D. Stanford University
B.S. Harvard University

NADYA MASON is the Rosalyn S. Yalow Professor of Physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she specializes in experimental studies of materials. She received her B.S. from Harvard University and her PhD from Stanford University, both in physics. Dr. Mason’s research focuses on the electronic properties of small-scale materials, such as nano-scale wires and atomically thin membranes. Her research is relevant to applications involving nanoscale and quantum computing elements. She currently serves as founding Director of the Illinois Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (I-MRSEC), a $16.1 million multidisciplinary research and education center funded by the National Science Foundation and was recently named Director of the Illinois Beckman Institute. In addition to maintaining a rigorous research program and teaching, Dr. Mason works to increase diversity in the physical sciences, particularly through mentoring, and is former chair of the American Physical Society (APS) Committee on Minorities. Dr. Mason can also be seen promoting science on local TV, at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, and in a TED talk on “Scientific Curiosity.” Dr. Mason has been recognized for her work with numerous awards, including the 2009 Denise Denton Emerging Leader Award, the 2012 APS Maria Goeppert Mayer Award, and the 2019 APS Bouchet Award. In 2021 she was elected to both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences.

Welcome remarks

Gillian Willson
Vice Chancellor of Research, University of California, Merced
Ph.D. University of Durham
B.S. University of Glasgow

Dr. Wilson was recently appointed as the new vice chancellor for research, innovation, and economic development at UC Merced. Before moving to Merced, Dr. Wilson has served as senior associate vice chancellor for research and economic development at UC Riverside since 2018 and has been a professor of physics and astronomy since 2007. She also serves as director of the university’s Multidisciplinary Research Building, as the assistant research integrity officer, and as UCR director of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology. At UC Riverside, she has previously held roles as interim divisional dean for physical sciences and mathematics, chair of the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences Executive Committee, chair of the Research and Economic Development Advisory Board, and interim deputy director of the University of California Observatories. Her research interests include clusters of galaxies, galaxy evolution, infrared astronomy, cosmology, instrumentation, massive galaxies and protoclusters.

Linda Hirst
Professor of Physics, UC Merced
Ph.D. Manchester University
B.S. (Hons) Manchester University

Professor Hirst's research interests focus on soft-condensed matter physics, with interests in both biophysics and liquid crystal materials. In general, her research group uses experimental techniques to characterize molecular assemblies and to understand the physics behind why they form. In a wider context, her group tries to uncover the common principles of how self-organization at a molecular level can transfer physical properties across length scales to define complex structures in real biological systems and soft phases. Professor Hirst is the author of the textbook Fundamentals of Soft Matter Science. She has been elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and she began as Chair of the UC Merced Department of Physics in Fall 2022.

Plenary speakers

Risa Wechsler
Professor of Physics, Stanford University
Ph.D. University of California, Santa Cruz
B.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Professor Wechsler serves as the current director of the Kavli institute for particle astrophysics and cosmology (KIPAC). Her major research interests are focused on understanding the growth of structure in the universe, how structure formation drives galaxy formation, and how galaxies can be used to probe the fundamental physics of the universe, including the nature of dark matter and dark energy. Between 2014-2018, Prof. Wechsler was the co-spokesperson of the dark energy spectroscopic instrument (DESI) and is a founding member of the dark energy survey (DES) and the LSST dark energy science collaboration. Other major current projects include a study of the satellites of milky way analogs called the SAGA (satellites around galactic analogs) survey and the COMA (comappingarray) project.

Bouakham Sriri-Perez
Teacher, Duncan Polytechnical High School, Fresno
B.A. California State University, Fresno

Sriri-Perez has spent her 20-year career as a physics educator striving to create accessible and exciting classroom experiences for her students. At McLane High School, where she taught before Duncan Polytechnical High School, Sriri-Perez doubled the number of physics classes. At Duncan, she was responsible for building the school’s physics program, resulting in physics becoming a required—and appreciated—subject. Named 2020 PhysTEC teacher of the year, has the teaching hallmark of channeling her efforts to decrease the “phear of physics” many of her students have when entering a physics class for the first time.

Scientific Talks

Sayantani Ghosh
Professor of Physics, University of California, Merced
Ph.D. University of Chicago
B.S. University of Cambridge

Sayantani Ghosh is a Professor at the Department of Physics, University of California, Merced and Associate Dean for Graduate Division. Professor Ghosh's research interests cover both traditional topics and emerging multi-disciplinary themes in condensed matter physics. Her group focuses on the physics of new materials and using ultra-fast opto-electronic techniques, develops methods and protocols to manipulate their properties for applications in energy storage and information processing devices. Professor Ghosh is Also the Founding Faculty and Advisor of UC Merced Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE@UCM). Professor Ghosh will be speaking on the topic "Research @ UC Merced" and will be on the panels Undergraduate Research Opportunities, Applying to Grad School during the CUWiP 23 conference.
 

Shilpa Khatri
Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics, University of California, Merced
Ph.D.  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
B.S. New York University

Shilpa Khatri is an associate professor of applied mathematics, UC Merced. Her research is in fluid dynamics arising in the context of biological and marine phenomena, such as the transport of nutrients, organisms, and pollutants in the ocean. She develops mathematical models and numerical methods - specifically for fluid-structure interactions and multiphase flow - to the point where they can be used to answer scientific questions in the biological sciences. Further, Shilpa runs an experimental lab where the models and the methods are compared to simple experiments. Shilpa would be speaking on the topic "Research @ UC Merced" and will be on the panels Undergraduate Research Opportunities, Applying to Grad School during the CUWiP 23 conference and a member of the Local Organizing Committee

Sarah Loebman
Assistant Professor of Physics, UC Merced
Ph.D.  University of Washington, Seattle, WA
B.S. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Sarah Loebman is an assistant professor of physics at UC Merced and co-Chair of our CUWiP Local Organizing Committee. She's an astrophysicist whose primary research interests are in galaxy evolution, clustered star formation, and chemo-dynamics in the Local Universe. She uses high resolution galaxy simulations, survey data, and Big Data tools and techniques to conduct her research. She is also a devoted teacher and student advocate, and she is strongly committed to supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts in astrophysics. Sarah would be speaking on the topic "Research @ UC Merced" and will be on the panels "Life in grad school, Mental Health and Work-Life Balance" during the CUWiP 23 conference and also is the Co-Chair of the Local Organizing Committee

Panelists