Physical Sciences Research

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Chem lab

Research is a key component of our degree programs and takes place throughout the calendar year. By working closely with faculty members in generating new scientific knowledge, you will gain critical skills that prepare you for future careers in chemistry, biochemistry/biotechnology, physics, material science, and Earth and space sciences.

Paths to Research

There are several ways to go about securing research opportunities:

  • Perform research as part of an independent study course for college credits
  • Apply for a summer undergraduate research fellowship (SURF) – available through various federal and state sources

Please Note: Your research experience will also count toward departmental honors. Consult the Departmental Honors Program in physical sciences, for more information.

Research Done with Faculty

If you are interested in conducting research with a faculty mentor, follow these steps:

  1. Review our faculty researchers and their research labs and choose a research project that matches your interests.
  2. Contact the professor who is overseeing the lab, using the email address provided, and express your interest in joining the lab.
  3. After you have been accepted into their lab, you will need to fill out the Independent Study Application Form, which includes a short research proposal. 
  4. After you complete the application, submit it to your research mentor, who will write a brief paragraph stating how you will be evaluated for grading purposes. You will hand in the form to the chair of the Physical Sciences Department and be registered in your research mentor’s course automatically.
  5. Due dates for submitting your Independent Study Application Form are November 15, if the research project is to be undertaken in the spring, and by April 15, if the project is to be undertaken in the summer or fall.
  6. You must submit a new application for independent study each semester that you wish to perform research for credit.

Faculty Researchers

Biochemistry

Research Interests

Bioenergetics, Metabolism, DNA damage response, Protein purification, Structure function studies 

Email Karen Almeida

Physical Chemistry

Research Interests

Fluorescence, Tryptophan, Micelles, Fluorescence anisotropy, Binding studies

Email Laura Cooley

Materials Science

Research Interests

Thin films, metals, mechanical properties, colloids, crystal structure, crystal growth, soft materials

Email Andrea Del Vecchio

Research Interests

Biodegradable Polymers for Drug Delivery Applications 

Email Elizabeth Kiesewetter

Chemistry, Oceanography

Research Interests

Fate and transport of road salt in Rhode Island freshwater systems and the potential impacts on the Narragansett Bay watershed; Biogeochemical cycles and chemical distributions in coastal waters, including Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island Sound, and Block Island Sound

Email Sarah Knowlton 

Analytical Chemistry

Research Interests

Ion analysis of freshwater systems, metal analysis, atomic absorption spectroscopy, chromatography

Email Marc Lamontagne

Inorganic/Organometallic Chemistry

Research Interests

Green Chemistry, Renewable Chemical Feedstocks, Organometallics, Catalysis, Inorganic Synthesis, Ligand Synthesis, DNA-binding Metal Complexes, Metal-based Antitumor Compounds

Email Chin Hin Leung

Experimental Condensed Matter Physics

Research Interests

Electronic devices, Micro/nano structured materials, Transport measurements in thin films, Optical characterization, Electrochemical growth

Email Medini Padmanabhan

Physics

Research Interests

Surface physics, thin film growth, phase transitions

Email Steven Rivers

Physics

Research Interests

Theoretical & Computational physics with a focus on Renormalization-Group Theory, Field Theory, Diophantine Polynomials, Number Theory, Riemannian Topology, Ising Networks, Competition 

Email Daniel Snowman

Biochemistry

Research Interests

Polymerase kinetics, DNA repair, cancer, melanoma, protein purification, protein dynamics, fluorescence resonance energy transfer

Email Jamie Towle-Weicksel

Physics

Research Interests

Surface and Interface Physics, Crystallography, Ion Bombardment, Geiger-Muller tubes and fast pulse counting, Electron Spectroscopies, Monte Carlo Simulation, XPS core and valence models

Email Benjamin Young

Rhode Island College entrance

Contact

Department of Physical Sciences

The Department of Physical Sciences covers the four main branches of physical science: physics, chemistry, Earth science and space science.