Averitt Research Group UCSD Physics Department
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Principal Investigator
Richard Averitt
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Professor of Physics, UC San Diego, 2014 - present
Adjunct Professor of Physics, Boston University 2014 - 2016
Associate Professor of Physics, Boston University 2010-2013  
Assistant Professor of Physics, Boston University 2006-2010  
Staff Scientist, Los Alamos National Laboratory 2001-2006
Director’s Postdoctoral Fellow, Los Alamos National Laboratory 1999-2001
PhD Applied Physics, Rice University 1998

"I am interested in the optical and electronic properties of  quantum materials. We utilize time-resolved optical spectroscopy spanning from the far-infrared through the visible to explore the fundamental properties of quantum materials with a view towards dynamics and control. I also have  long-standing interests and metamaterials and plasmonics.  Considerably more information can be found throughout this website. You can always contact me at raveritt@ucsd.edu if you have questions about our research."





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Executive Assistant
Susan Marshall


"With over 30 years of C-level executive support experience in both business administration and fiscal affairs. Skilled in accounts payable/receivable/fiscal close, travel reconciliation, coordinate meetings/conferences/special events, U.S. Visas J-1/H1-B, human resources, lab safety manager, budgets, and strategic planning."
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 Graduate Student
​  Varun Ramaprasad
  Graduate Student, 2019-present
  B.S.-M.S., Physics,  IISER Kolkata, 2019

 "I am interested in using time-resolved techniques to study strongly correlated materials.     Possibly interested in also understanding how these techniques could provide new               insight into topologically non-trivial materials."
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Graduate Student
​Peter Kim
Graduate Student, 2018-present
B.S., Physics,  Vassar College, 2017

"I am interested in developing and using ultrafast spectroscopic techniques to study strongly correlated quantum materials and nonequilibrium physics. Recently, my research has been focused on exploring novel quantum magnets including Kitaev spin-liquid candidates and magnetic topological systems with high-sensitivity optical and near-infrared magneto-optical measurements. I am also working to bring high-field mid-infrared pulses to these experiments."​
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Graduate Student
​Yuan Zhang 
Graduate Student, 2019-present
B.S., Physics,  USTC, 2019

"I am interested in ultrafast dynamics of strongly correlated materials. I'm working on time resolved optical pump-THz probe spectroscopy, and possibly high-field THz pump spectroscopy in the future."
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Graduate Student
​Mustafa Ali 
Graduate Student, 2018-present
B.S., Physics,  UCSD, 2018

"My Research interests lie in how to apply ultrafast mid infrared, terahertz, and optical pump-probe techniques to strongly correlated electron materials to selectively excite and monitor transient states that are otherwise inaccessible by more traditional means.  Of particular interest is how to push condensed matter systems that have a high level of competition between their many degrees of freedom into displaying some broad range of favorable "properties on demand."  Currently I am working on developing a technique that uses intense ultrafast mid infrared circularly polarized pulses to efficiently generate coherent magnons while using a variety of time-resolved magneto-optical methods to help monitor the dynamics of the population in antiferromagnetic Mott Insulators."
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Graduate Student
Maxwell Poore 
Graduate Student, 2018-present
B.S., Physics,  UCSD, 2018

"I am interested in novel forms of magnetism; from spin liquids to intrinsic magnetic topological insulators.  I think developments in these areas will pave the way for the future of computing and technology in general.  My research involves using nonlinear optics to tune how we both perturb and observe these materials.  I have built and will continue working on developing near IR and mid IR light sources to look at these materials with.  Looking to the future I hope to combine optical, IR, and THz experiments to better understand these novel materials."

Current Undergraduate Students
 
  • Sylvia Terry
  • Junxiao Zhang
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​Past Group Members at UC San Diego

Graduate Students:
  • Kelson Kaj: PhD June 2023, currently postdoc at Max Planck Institute for Structure and Dynamics of Matter
  • Rubaiat Haque: PhD March 2023, currently postdoc at Stanford
  • Jacob Schalch: PhD December 2018, currently Senior Electro-Optical Engineer at DRS Daylight Solutions
  • Peter Kissin, PhD June 2019, research scientist at Intel R&D, Oregon
  • Kevin Cremin, PhD Dec. 2019, Quantitative Analyst at Caine Investment Fund I L. P.
  • Dylan Lovinger, PhD April 2020, self-employed at The Hyperspace Lighting Company
  • Gufeng Zhang, PhD  May 2020, Google

Research Scientists:
  • Verner Kristian Thorsmølle: Research Scientist 2014-2016​

Postdocs:
  • Jingdi Zhang:  Assistant Professor in Physics at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
  • Rashmi Singla: Max-Planck Institute for Structure and Dynamics of Matter​

​Masters Degree:
  • Porter Howland (Master's in Computational Science), currently at UIUC for PhD studies​
Undergraduate Students:
  • Ian Hammock  grad student in Physics at U. Chicago, starting 2020
  • Ananya Rai  grad student in Physics at Yale, starting 2020
  • Gulnara Fazulina: UCSD undergrad now grad student at UC Boulder
  • Jiayi Hu: UCSD undergrad now grad student at Princeton
  • Justin Johnson: Morehouse Undergrad
  • Josh Ruby: UCSD Undergrad now Mechanical Engineer at Apple
  • Maxwell Poore: UCSD Undergrad, now grad student at UCSD
  • Mustafa Ali: UCSD Undergrad, now grad student at UCSD
  • Noah Ratcliff: UCSD Undergrad, now grad student at UCSB
  • Theodore Cruz: Morehouse​​ Undergrad
From My Boston University Years

PhD Students in Physics:
  • George Keiser (2015):  Assistant Professor Washington College
  • Jingdi Zhang  (2014):  Assistant Professor in Physics at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
  • Elsa Abrea (2014):  Postdoc at ETH with Steven  Johnson
  • Megkun Liu (2012): Assistant Professor at Stonybrook University
  • Andrew Strikwerda (2012): Staff Scientist at Johns Hopkins Applied Research Lab

PhD Students in Mechanical Engineering*:
*Primary advisor was Prof. Xin Zhang. I served as co-advisor.
  • Xiaoguang Zhao (2016): Assistant Professor at BU
  • Huseyin Seren (2014): Research Engineer at Aramco Services Company
  • Kebin Fan (2012): Researcher Scientist at Duke University with Willie Padilla
  • Hu Tao (2011): Assistant Professor at UT Austin

Postdocs:
  • Harold Hwang: Research Scientist at Lincoln Labs
  • Logan Chieffo:  Principle Scientist at Q-Peak​

Visiting Graduate Students:
  • Evren Ekmekci (2010): Assistant Professor at Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta Turkey

Undergraduate Students:
  • Aaron Sternbach:  Graduate student at Columbia University in Basov Group
  • Dan Pilon:  Graduate student at MIT in Gedik Group
  • Brian Pardo:  Graduate student at University of Pittsburgh
  • Matthew Molinario: Dat Scientist at Sermo
  • Ben Chuang:  Postdoc at Naval Research Lab
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2016 UC San Diego Averitt Lab
Created and Managed by Samantha Averitt

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