Student Profiles
Welcome the Class of 2019!
Amjad Alqahtani
Amjad Alqahtani received his MS degree in physics from Brown University in May 2019. His work is focused on the development of the photomultiplier tube arrays for the LZ dark matter experiment detector, as well as a simulation framework for the neutron calibration system. Prior to that, Amjad graduated from Arizona State University in 2016 with a BS in Physics and Computer Science. During his undergraduate years, Amjad worked on several projects, chief among those is working to help build the simulation for a particle detector developed by the REDTOP collaboration, for which he was rewarded The College of Liberal Arts Undergraduate Summer Enrichment (USE) Scholarship. By attending the Ph.D. program at Georgetown, Amjad wishes to pursue his degree studying condensed matter physics. While most of his previous research training has been in particle and astrophysics, Amjad believes he has accumulated many practical skills that are transferable to the CM physics field. When not in the lab, or at his work desk, you can find Amjad hiking a trail, top roping in a rock climbing gym, editing/filming short videos, or simply attending an art or music show.
Jeremy Canfield
Jeremy, from Shrewsbury, MA, graduated Georgetown University this past Spring with a double major in Physics and Mathematics. During his time at Georgetown, Jeremy participated in research on quantum many-body systems, ultimately writing his senior thesis on the Falikov-Kimball Model. Beyond physics, Jeremy’s academic interests include foreign languages (speaks French and Spanish) and modern mathematics. Outside of academics, Jeremy enjoys music, running, and reading.
Zekun (Zach) He
Zach was born in Guangzhou, China and then grew up in both Guangzhou and Hong Kong. He graduated from George Washington University in 2019 with a B.S. in physics. During his undergraduate, his research project was to develop an automatic pipeline to improve productivity in Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) analysis using python and C++. At GWU, Zach was also a photographer in a student newspaper for his love of capturing moments. Besides, he also enjoys playing and learning music. In the near future, he is more than excited to study more amazing physics at Georgetown.
Wayan Fontaine-Seiler
Wayan was born in Paris, France in 1995 and lived most of his life there. After graduating from High School, Wayan entered the Louis Le Grand for his French “Prep Classes” and later joined the ESPCI, a French School of Research and Engineering where he graduated in 2019. There, Wayan studied general physics, chemistry and biology. He did some research on the characterization of defects on coronary stents, the freezing dynamics of fluid films. Wayan also joined the Saint-Gobain company for an internship of 6 months, where he studied the mechanical properties of thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering. His last work and interests revolve around the physics, the rheology and mechanical properties of soft matter and polymers. During my studies, Wayan also served as the President of a nonprofit student organization focused on finding paid missions for the students from various companies. As for his hobbies, Wayan likes to read, go to the museum and traveling as well as many other things.
Xiangyu Lin
Xiangyu graduated from University of Missouri – Columbia in 2019 with a BSc. in physics and a B.E. in electrical engineering. His undergraduate period mainly focused on condensed matters. He joined a research group working on the growth of 2D material and collecting and analyzing their surface condition and band structure. His current interest is still 2D material, especially graphene and topological insulators.
Darrian Mills
Darrian Mills was born in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1997 and later spent a few years in Virginia before eventually moving back to his home state. In 2019, he graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a B.S in physics and minors in Computer Science and Mathematics. As an undergraduate at Louisiana Tech University, he served as an undergraduate researcher at Louisiana Tech’s Institute for Micromanufacturing (IFM) in a research group focused on micro and nanotechnology. Current interests include, but are not limited to nanotechnology and biophysics. Outside of academics, Darrian is a fan of sports such as football and basketball and enjoys watching them.
Christopher Quinones
Hailing from Troy, NY, Chris majored in physics and minored in philosophy at Carnegie Mellon University, graduating with a BS in 2018. There he conducted research into modeling bending energies in lipid membranes, was a member of SPS, and mentored underprivileged kids interested in STEM. Chris was also part of Georgetown’s 2017 physics REU, researching the effect of boundary conditions on active matter simulations. After graduation, Chris worked for Uber ATG for a year, helping to develop their autonomous vehicle technology.
Students at various stages of the program
Kara Googins, Class of 2015
The Graduate Program at Georgetown was the right fit for me because it is was a small, collaborative and welcoming community that provided each student with the resources they need to be successful. I really appreciated that each graduate student is treated as an important and contributing member to the department. The Department has found the right mix of students that combines intellectual achievement, unique personalities and diverse interests outside of physics.
Abhay Goyal, Class of 2014
The Georgetown physics program turned out to be everything I hoped for in grad school. The small but tight-knit community is both welcoming and encouraging, and the research they do is really interesting! Best of all, the friendly atmosphere and the lab rotations give you the opportunity to explore a variety of research topics.
Matt Sartucci, Class of 2013
The community here at Georgetown is very close-knit and personable. It emphasizes collaborations and support from faculty and experienced research staff. The result is that graduate students are valued and encouraged to take advantage of the many available opportunities, both for research and career development.