Before you contact me

Interested in joining my group?  Here's what you need to know.

• I supervise graduate students through Trent's Materials Science program.  Traditionally, the term "materials science" is used to mean materials engineering; however, this program is really a science program that focuses on the fundamental physics and chemistry of materials.  I use the tools of theoretical physics to study materials.
  
  
• To be successful in my group, you need to have a strong background in physics, and especially in quantum mechanics and mathematical methods in physics.  You should have taken a senior-level quantum mechanics course that covered topics like the quantum theory of angular momentum, symmetries in quantum mechanics and perturbation theory.
  
  
• International students need make sure they meet the requirements listed on the graduate studies website. 
  
  
• Before you contact me, spend some time thinking about the following questions.  When you do contact me, be sure to say something about them.
  • Why are you interested in my research area?  What is it in particular that excites you?  Do you have a particular project or subfield that interests you more than others?
  • Is your background actually appropriate for working in theoretical physics? 
  • Do you have any experience that I should know about that is relevant to research in this field?