Stanford University
Atomic Physics
2005 - present
Nick is a Ph.D. student in Mark Kasevich's Atomic Interferometry group in the Physics and Applied Physics departments at Stanford. He is working to create, observe, and manipulate dilute gases of ultracold atomic lithium. At these temperatures (billionths of a degree above absolute zero), atoms behave more like waves than like particles, and Nick's work focuses on developing next-generation atomic wave based measuring instruments of dramatically increased precision over current laser (electromagnetic wave) based instruments.
Before entering graduate school, Nick was an optical engineer and produced two patents for novel microelectromechanical system (MEMS) designs. He holds a B.A. in Physics Summa Cum Laude from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he spent three years working in Carl Wieman's (Nobel laureate, 2001) atomic physics research group, both assisting the Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) research group and completing an honors thesis.
Outside of atomic physics, Nick is interested in developing long-term sustainable solutions to the coupled energy, population, and environment problem.
He is currently engaged and plans to marry in May, 2008.
