1. people

Faculty

Leon Balents

Professor
KITP Permanent Member

Kohn Hall 2315
I am interested in developing theory to uncover and explain exotic quantum phenomena in the real world.

David Berenstein

Professor

Broida 6133
Works mostly on quantum field theories and their equivalence to quantum gravity in higher dimensions (AdS/CFT correspondence).

Tengiz Bibilashvili

Teaching Professor (Senior Lecturer SOE)

Broida 1417

Lars Bildsten

Professor
KITP Director

Kohn 1514

Omer Blaes

Professor

Broida 2015G
I do theoretical research in the area of high energy astrophysics, with a focus on understanding the physics and observable properties of accretion flows onto compact objects (black holes, neutron stars, and white dwarfs).

Ania Bleszynski Jayich

Professor

Broida 4105
We develop quantum technologies based on solid-state spins, photons, and phonons to probe fundamental questions in quantum science and condensed matter.

Dirk Bouwmeester

Professor

Broida 4125
Investigates topics related to quantum information science and quantum decoherence using optomechanical systems such as phononic crystal membranes made out of silicon nitride and diamond, and on-chip optical waveguides coupled to superfluid Helium.

Mark Bowick

Visiting Distinguished Professor of Physics and Deputy Director, KITP

Kohn 1510
I am interested in all aspects of symmetry, symmetry-breaking, geometry and topology across fields ranging from quantum field theory to soft and living matter, with a particular focus on topological defects. My recent work is on the statistical mechanics of thermalized 2D-metamaterials, such as graphene, the more general behavior of elastic and fluid membranes and the physics of active nematics.

Brendan Bowler

Associate Professor

Tracing how planets form and evolve with direct imaging, spectroscopy, dynamics, and variability.

Frank Brown

Professor

Chem 4126

Claudio Campagnari

Professor

Broida 5125
Experimental High Energy Physics at the Large Hadron Collider

David Caratelli

Assistant Professor

Broida 5119
My research focuses on experimental particle physicists studying neutrinos to understand the fundamental laws of nature and evolution of the universe.

Jean Carlson

Professor

Broida 6123

Caitlin Casey

Professor

I’m an observational astronomer with expertise in high-redshift galaxies. I use the most massive and unusual galaxies at early times to test fundamental properties of galaxy assembly (including their gas, stars, and dust) within a ΛCDM cosmological framework.

Nathaniel Craig

Professor

Kohn 2307

High Energy Physics, Particle Phenomenology, Cosmology

Zvonimir Dogic

Professor
Faculty Graduate Advisor

Broida 4419
Self-assembly of soft materials, active matter and out of equilibrium physics

Xi Dong

Associate Professor

Broida 6103
Quantum gravity, string theory, quantum field theory, cosmology, and quantum information theory.

Matthew Fisher

Professor

2305 Kohn Hall
My present research interests lie at the border between many-body theory and quantum information theory, especially the non-equilibrium quantum dynamics of open and monitored quantum systems.

Deborah Fygenson

Professor

Broida 2419

Robert Geller

Senior Lecturer SOE

Broida Hall 1411
In pursuit of a bacterial cancer therapy.

Steven Giddings

Professor

Broida 6105

Quantum gravity, Quantum Field Theory, Black Holes, Quantum Cosmology, Elementary Particles

David Gross

Professor
KITP Permanent Member

Kohn 1219

High Energy Physics, Quantum Field Theory, String Theory

Sathya Guruswamy

Teaching Professor (Senior Lecturer SOE)

Broida 3419

Joseph Hennawi

Professor

Broida 2015B

Gary Horowitz

Professor

Broida 6239
Classical and quantum gravity, especially properties of spacetime singularities

Andy Howell

Adjunct Professor
Senior Staff Scientist, Las Cumbres Observatory

Broida 1413
supernovae, kilonovae, cosmology, tidal disruption events, astronomical infrastructure

Joe Incandela

Professor

Broida 5105
Incandela is searching for heavy and light dark matter at CERN and SLAC. He is also studying the Higgs boson at CERN.

Andrew Jayich

Associate Professor

Broida 4123
Precision measurement and quantum information science with atoms and molecules.

Chenhao Jin

Assistant Professor

Broida 4131
Jin's current research interest lies in the interplay between dimensionality, many-body interaction, fluctuations and competing orders.

Clifford Johnson

Professor

BRDA 6113

His research focus is in quantum gravity, superstring theory, quantum field theory, and particle physics, specifically related to strongly coupled phenomena.

Georgios Koutroulakis

Lecturer SOE

Broida Hall 1409
Physics Education, NMR for Condensed-Matter Physics

Everett Lipman

Associate Professor

Broida 2409

Hugh Lippincott

Associate Professor

Broida 5131
I look for dark matter.

Matthieu Louis

Associate Professor

3141 Bio II
We combine theory and experimentation to understand how perception and behavioral decisions come about in terms of neural-circuit computation.

Philip Lubin

Professor

Broida 2015C
Our group research explores a very wide variety of research in astrophysics from the origin and evolution of our universe to developing photonics based propulsion systems for future exploration to searching for and mitigating threats to humanity from asteroid and comets.

Andreas Ludwig

Professor

Broida 6119

Xiao Luo

Assistant Professor

Broida 5123

M Cristina Marchetti

Professor
Director, Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program

Broida 6235
My research group is interested in the emergent behavior of active and living matter.
Don Marolf studies black holes, gravitational aspects of string theory, and issues associated with gravity, entropy and entanglement.

Crystal Martin

Professor

Broida 2015D
Galactic Winds, the Galaxy - Circumgalactic Medium Ecosystem, Galactic Star Formation Histories, and Cosmic Reionization

Benjamin Mazin

Vice Chair
Professor

Broida 2015H
Building the most powerful optical and near-IR detectors in the world to directly image exoplanets.

Maxwell Millar-Blanchaer

Assistant Professor

Broida 2015A
Astronomical Instrumentation, Polarimetry, High-Contrast Imaging of Exoplanets & Circumstellar Disks

David Morrison

Professor

Broida 6135

Chetan Nayak

Professor
Director of Microsoft Station Q

Elings 2241

Harry Nelson

Professor

Broida 5013

S. Peng Oh

Professor

Broida 2015-J
Galaxy formation and evolution; physics of diffuse plasmas; cosmic rays; turbulence; circumgalactic medium, galaxy clusters, IGM.

David Patterson

Associate Professor

Extending the tools of atomic, molecular, and optical physics to prepare polyatomic molecules in single quantum states for the first time. Research interests include the development of quantum information systems, high precision spectroscopy, parity violation in molecular spectra, and single molecule chemical and chiral analysis. The group also develops novel spectroscopy methods to realize ultraprecise chemical analysis of diverse systems.

Jeffrey Richman

Professor

Broida 5111

Cyrus Safinya

Distinguished Professor

2204 MRL

Cyrus R. Safinya is a Distinguished Professor of Materials at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His home department is Materials in the College of Engineering and he has joint appointments in the Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology department, and by courtesy, in the Physics department and the Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program.

Omar A. Saleh

Professor

BioE 3006
Experimental studies of single biomolecules and self-assembled biomolecular systems

Joan-Emma Shea

Professor

Chem 4130

Mark Sherwin

Professor
Director

Broida 4111
Terahertz quantum condensed matter, protein and device physics. Strongly-driven charges and spins in solids.

Boris Shraiman

Professor
KITP Permanent Member

Kohn 2317

Sebastian Streichan

Associate Professor

Broida 4409

David Stuart

Department Chair
Professor

Broida 3001

Tejaswi Venumadhav Nerella

Assistant Professor

Broida 2015F

Sagar Vijay

Assistant Professor

Broida 6229

Sagar Vijay graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor's degree in physics in 2013, and received his Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2018.  He was subsequently a Junior Fellow of the Society of Fellows at Harvard University, before joining  UCSB’s physics department in 2020.  He is the recipient of a Sloan Research Fellowship, and the 2023 William L. McMillan Award for outstanding contributions to condensed matter physics.

David Weld

Professor

Broida 4119
Uses the tools of experimental atomic physics to probe the many-body quantum mechanics of condensed matter. Research interests of the Weld group include non-equilibrium quantum dynamics, alkaline earth quantum gases, quasiperiodic quantum systems, quantum emulation of ultrafast phenomena, emergent Floquet phases of matter, new cooling techniques, and quantum metrology.

Cenke Xu

Professor

Broida 6137
We study the intriguing physics that can emerge in quantum condensed matter systems, including topological effect, gauge field, ‘t Hooft anomaly, higher-form symmetries, duality, etc.

Andrea Young

Professor

Broida 4113
Quantum electronics in two dimensional systems

Anthony Zee

Professor

Kohn 2115

Applications of Quantum Field Theory in Physics and Biophysics