- Congratulations Ajay Kandada
Congratulations to Professor Ajay Kandada and his team for publishing an article in The Journal of Chemical Physics entitled “Measurement principles for quantum spectroscopy of molecular materials with entangled photons”.
Professor Kandada in his Laboratory Professor Kandada’s research involves the use of ultrafast pulsed lasers to study the optical and electronic properties of materials. In this study he introduces new methods and designs to study materials with quantum entangled photons. These new principles pave the way towards more advanced experiments in the field of nonlinear spectroscopy.
For more information about Professor Kandada’s research, please visit his laboratory website.
- Graduate Applications Now Open
Applications are open for WFU Physics PhD and MS programs! You can apply here Detailed application info for our programs can be found here, and you can check out our research interests. The application deadline is Jan 8th and we are GRE optional now! PhD students are supported via a 100% tuition & fee waiver and a $29,000 annual stipend, and MS students receive a 75% tuition waiver.
Wake Forest University Physics graduate student Lindsey Gray works on her research projects in various labs at the Wake Forest Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. Lindsey examines a dye-sensitized solar cells she created using various berry juices. 
Physics graduate student Derek Dremann works on research with organic electronics, specifically organic transistors for their uses as radiation dosimeters for cancer diagnostics and treatments, in a lab in the Olin Physical Laboratory on Tuesday, May 30, 2023 . Derek’s work in the lab typically involves coating substrates with organic materials dissolved in a solvent inside a fume hood or glovebox and then measuring their electrical characteristics at a probe station. 
Professor Stephen Winter and Physics PhD Student Sam Griffith work out quantum mechanical equations describing exotic magnets pursued for quantum computing on. May 30, 2023 in the Olin Physics Laboratory. 
Wake Forest University Department of Physics postdoctoral research associate Angika Bulbul works on research with graduate student Evan Kumar in the Olin Physics Laboratory on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. - Timothy Carlson to represent WFU Physics in Scotland
Timothy Carlson, graduate physics student, is the lead graduate student in the quantum computing project in the Nanotechnology Center. He has been granted the exciting opportunity to represent the department and the center at the UK Graduate Summer School in Condensed Matter Theory at the University of Stirling. He will be using this trip to network with fellow peers and to learn more about the emerging ideas in condensed matter physics. Below is a photo of one of the devices Tim has built.
Quantum Computing device built by WFU Physics graduate student Timothy Carlson - Professor Guthold Awarded Fellowship
Professor Martin Guthold has been awarded the Kulynych Family Faculty Fellowship. This fellowship has a three-year term beginning July 1, 2023, and ending June 30, 2026. This and other fellowships recognize Wake Forest’s best teacher-scholars. Congratulations, Martin!
- Alumni Spotlight – Fernando Rigal
Congratulations to Wake Physics alum Fernando Rigal, who was recently awarded a fellowship within the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)! Fernando is now a PhD student in the Physics department of University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). In this interview, Fernando discusses how Wake helped him and what research he intends to conduct through the GRFP program.
What are you doing now career-wise?
Fernando: I am currently a physics PhD student at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). I work with Dr. Paul Selvin with projects involving NV Centers, Kinesin kinetics through super-resolution imaging, and super-resolution imaging of mice brain slices.
How did Wake Forest Physics help you get where you are today?
Fernando: I started out at Wake Forest wanting to do Pre-med and ultimately research under Dr. Kim-Shapiro changed my mind. I decided to pursue a career in physics research (particularly biophysics). That has tremendously helped get me to where I am today. Moreover, the rigor involved in the various undergrad courses I took definitely prepared me for the graduate courses I’d be eventually taking at UIUC.
Do you have an anecdote you would care to share from either your time at Wake Forest physics or from afterword relevant to Wake Physics?
Fernando: I guess a lot of what I remember from undergrad physics at Wake revolves around SPS and the various activities (I.e, board game nights, bbq, and movie nights amongst other).
Is there anything you would like to share with prospective or current students?
Fernando: I think finding a spot where you feel like you belong is extremely important. It doesn’t matter if this is an extracurricular (for me it was dungeons and dragons with friends) or if it’s a lab where you love the research that you do. Your mental state is a huge asset to progress in all facets of your undergrad/grad time at Wake! If you want to get started doing research I would reach out and join lab meetings first to make sure you feel like you belong and that it is what you want to pursue! ALSO, make sure you apply for summer fellowship positions (whether at wake or elsewhere) as it is important to widen your connections!
What research are you planning to conduct through the GRFP program?
Fernando: The research that I proposed for my GRFP application was fluorescent imaging of prostate cancer in live mice using NV centers as a novel probe. Since NV centers are sensitive to magnetic fields (triplet ground state), you can eliminate a lot of background fluorescence (the biggest problem involved with fluorescence imaging in live animals) by applying a magnetic field and detecting a change in the fluorescence (this is called Optically detected magnetic resonance). You can then eliminate any background by applying a lock-in detection mechanism.
