Faculty profiles

The FRIB Laboratory offers unparalleled education and research opportunities to graduate students, who routinely meet and work side-by-side with leading researchers in nuclear physics, nuclear astrophysics, nuclear chemistry, accelerator physics, and engineering.

There is no better way to begin a career in science than learning and working at a world-leading user facility that attracts scientists from all over the world in the pursuit of their research. You will watch, participate in, and lead discoveries of things no one knew before. In the process you will develop skills and connections that will enable you to excel in a wide variety of exciting careers.

Train with world-leading faculty

FRIB is the world’s leading rare isotope facility, opening new nuclear science frontiers. Earn your graduate degree through MSU’s Physics and Astronomy department, Chemistry department, or College of Engineering by working with the world’s top faculty and staff at FRIB. FRIB faculty have joint appointments with FRIB and the corresponding MSU department. Under the guidance of world-renowned faculty, graduate students in experimental nuclear science are involved with all aspects of performing novel experiments: writing a proposal, designing, testing detectors and electronics, analyzing data and interpreting results.

Current FRIB faculty

FRIB’s faculty profiles offer a snapshot of the dedicated team of professionals who are available to work with you during your time at the laboratory. Research areas include:

   
   

Accelerator engineering

Venkatarao Ganni

Venkatarao Ganni
Joined the laboratory in 2016
The development of practical and new cryogenic systems and components needed for the efficient and reliable operation of superconducting accelerators is my primary interest. 

Nusair Hasan

Nusair Hasan
Joined the laboratory in 2018
At the MSU Cryogenic Initiative, we offer opportunities both in theoretical and applied research on thermal-hydraulic process equipment and systems for cryogenic applications. My research focus is toward the advancement of cryogenic processes and technology, specifically in regard to helium refrigeration, heat exchangers, multi-phase flow and heat transfer, and gas purification.

Steven Lidia

Steven Lidia
Joined the laboratory in 2016
Contemporary and planned accelerator facilities are pushing against several development frontiers.

Peter Ostroumov

Peter Ostroumov
Joined the laboratory in 2016
Particle accelerators are major tools for discovery in nuclear physics, high-energy physics, and basic energy science. 

Jie Wei

Jie Wei
Joined the laboratory in 2010
My scientific research involves accelerator physics of high-energy colliders and high-intensity hadron accelerators, beam cooling and crystallization, development of spallation neutron sources, development of compact pulsed hadron sources, development of hadron therapy facilities, development of accelerator-driven sub-critical reactor programs for thorium energy utilization and nuclear waste transmutation, and development of accelerators for rare-isotope beams.

Accelerator physics

Yue HaoYue Hao
Joined the laboratory in 2016
A particle accelerator is designed to accelerate basic charged particles, such as electrons, protons, and ions, to higher energy.

Steven Lund

Steven Lund
Joined the laboratory in 2014
A common theme in my research is to identify, understand, and control processes that can degrade the quality of the beam by increasing phase-space area or can drive particle losses.

Peter Ostroumov

Peter Ostroumov
Joined the laboratory in 2016
Particle accelerators are major tools for discovery in nuclear physics, high-energy physics, and basic energy science. 

Kenji Saito

Kenji Saito
Joined the laboratory in 2012
The accelerator is the base tool for nuclear physics, high-energy physics, light sources, medical applications, and so on. 

Jie Wei

Jie Wei
Joined the laboratory in 2010
My scientific research involves accelerator physics of high-energy colliders and high-intensity hadron accelerators, beam cooling and crystallization, development of spallation neutron sources, development of compact pulsed hadron sources, development of hadron therapy facilities, development of accelerator-driven sub-critical reactor programs for thorium energy utilization and nuclear waste transmutation, and development of accelerators for rare-isotope beams.

Ting Xu

Ting Xu
Joined the laboratory in 2012
My research group’s focus is to advance the application of superconductivity to large-scale accelerators.


Experimental atomic physics

Jaideep Singh

Jaideep Taggart Singh
Joined the laboratory in 2014
Physicists believe that there were equal amounts of matter and antimatter in the early history of the universe, but now the observable universe is composed of matter – so how did the antimatter vanish?

Xing Wu

Xing Wu
Joined the laboratory in 2023
Why is the Universe we live in made of matter, instead of anti-matter? What is dark matter made of? These mysteries in modern physics can be addressed by studying the fundamental symmetries of nature. My research at FRIB investigates these fundamental questions using ‘table-top’ size experiment. 

 

Experimental nuclear astrophysics

Fernando Montes

Fernando Montes
Joined the laboratory in 2007
My research is on the field of experimental nuclear astrophysics.

Hendrik Schatz

Hendrik Schatz
Joined the laboratory in 1999
The goal of our experimental and theoretical research program is to understand the nuclear processes that shape the cosmos by creating elements and generating energy.

Artemis Spyrou

Artemis Spyrou
Joined the laboratory in 2007
The elements we observe today on earth were all created inside stars. My group works on understanding how different stellar environments contribute to the synthesis of elements we see in the universe.

Christopher Wrede

Christopher Wrede
Joined the laboratory in 2011
Our research focuses on studying nuclei experimentally to probe fundamental questions about our Universe. 

Peter Ostroumov

Remco Zegers
Joined the laboratory in 2003
The research in our group focuses on the spin-isospin response of nuclei of relevance for astrophysics, neutrino physics, giant resonances and evolution of nuclear structure.

 

Experimental nuclear physics

Daniel Bazin

Daniel Bazin
Joined the laboratory in 1994
The focus of my research is centered on the study of exotic nuclei and the most efficient ways to unravel their properties.

Georg Bollen

Georg Bollen
Joined the laboratory in 2000
My research interests are related to nuclear and atomic physics with focus on the study of basic properties of atomic nuclei very far away from the valley of stability.

Alexandra Gade

Alexandra Gade
Joined the laboratory in 2002
The focus of my research is the structure of atomic nuclei in the regime of very unbalanced proton and neutron numbers. 

Paul Gueye

Paul Guèye
Joined the laboratory in 2018
My research is in experimental nuclear physics with a focus on neutron-rich isotopes along the neutron dripline.

Hironori Iwasaki

Hironori Iwasaki
Joined the laboratory in 2009
My research focuses on the investigation of the structure and dynamics of rare isotopes which have unusual proton-to-neutron ratios compared to stable nuclei that exist in nature. 

Bill Lynch

Bill Lynch
Joined the laboratory in 1980
We have a broad experimental program in nuclear physics. The main thrust of our program is to determine how the equation of state of nuclear matter changes when we increase the fraction of nucleons that are neutrons in the matter. 

Kei Minamisono

Kei Minamisono
Joined the laboratory in 2004
My current research interest is to measure the size, shape, or the charge radius of radioactive nuclides that occur near the limit of nuclear existence.

Wolfgang Mittig

Wolfgang Mittig
Joined the laboratory in 2011
Since my university studies, first in Germany and later in France, I involved myself in very general problematics, such as the foundation of quantum mechanics (Bell inequality), together with more practical applications, such as nuclear energy and environment.

Oscar Naviliat-Cuncic

Oscar Naviliat-Cuncic
Joined the laboratory in 2010
My research interests reside at the interface between nuclear and particle physics.

Aldric Revel

Aldric Revel
Joined the laboratory in 2023
My research interests hinge around the study of nuclear forces at play in nuclei with large neutron to proton asymmetry.

Ryan Ringle

Ryan Ringle
Joined the laboratory in 2009
My primary research interests include nuclear structure, nuclear astrophysics, and fundamental interactions. 

Bradley Sherrill

Bradley Sherrill
Joined the laboratory in 1985
I study methods for production and separation of rare isotopes.

Jaideep Singh

Jaideep Taggart Singh
Joined the laboratory in 2014
Physicists believe that there were equal amounts of matter and antimatter in the early history of the universe, but now the observable universe is composed of matter – so how did the antimatter vanish?

Andreas Stolz

Andreas Stolz
Joined the laboratory in 2001
My primary research interest is centered on the production of rare isotope beams with fragment separators and the study of the structure of nuclei at the limits of existence.

Betty Tsang

Betty Tsang
Joined the laboratory in 1980
As an experimentalist, I study collisions of nuclei at energies at approximately half the speed of light.

Peter Ostroumov

Remco Zegers
Joined the laboratory in 2003
The research in our group focuses on the spin-isospin response of nuclei of relevance for astrophysics, neutrino physics, giant resonances and evolution of nuclear structure.


Inorganic Chemistry

Alyssa Gaiser

Alyssa Gaiser
Joined the laboratory in 2022
The Gaiser Group’s research is targeted at meeting societal needs for better energy and medical applications.

 

Nuclear chemistry

Kyle Brown

Kyle Brown
Joined the laboratory in 2016
My research focuses on using nuclear reactions to probe how neutrons and protons behave in systems ranging from atomic nuclei to neutron stars. 

Sean Liddick

Sean Liddick
Joined the laboratory in 2009
The research carried out in my group addresses two critical questions in low-energy nuclear science: (1) how do we achieve a comprehensive and predictive model of the atomic nucleus and (2) how are elements made in during the explosive end of a massive star? 

 

Radiochemistry

Katharina Domnanich

Katharina Domnanich
Joined the laboratory in 2022
At FRIB, a variety of by-product radionuclides will be created that are of immense value for numerous disciplines, viz. nuclear medicine, astrophysics, and Stockpile Stewardship Science. 

Alyssa Gaiser

Alyssa Gaiser
Joined the laboratory in 2022
The Gaiser Group’s research is targeted at meeting societal needs for better energy and medical applications.

Greg Severin

Gregory Severin
Joined the laboratory in 2016
Our group is developing a method for collecting and purifying byproduct radionuclides from FRIB called “isotope harvesting.”

 

Theoretical AStrophysics and nuclear astrophysics

Edward Brown

Edward Brown
Joined the laboratory in 2004
My work connects observations of neutron stars with theoretical and laboratory studies of dense matter.

Sean Couch

Sean Couch
Joined the laboratory in 2015
My research centers around unraveling the mystery of how massive stars explode at the end of their lives. 

Brian O'Shea

Brian O'Shea
Joined the laboratory in 2015
My research focuses on the growth and evolution of galaxies over the age of the Universe, as well as understanding the behavior of the hot, diffuse plasmas that constitute much of the baryons in and around galaxies.

Theoretical nuclear physics

Scott Bogner

Scott Bogner
Joined the laboratory in 2007
My research focuses on applications of renormalization group (RG) and effective field theory (EFT) methods to the microscopic description of nuclei and nuclear matter.

Alex Brown

Alex Brown
Joined the laboratory in 1982
My research in theoretical nuclear physics is motivated by broad questions in science: What are the fundamental particles of matter? 

Pawel Danielewicz

Pawel Danielewicz
Joined the laboratory in 1988
My area of research involves studying the central energetic reactions of heavy nuclei, which help test bulk nuclear properties such as the nuclear equation of state.

Chloë HebbornPhoto coming soon
Joined the laboratory in 2023
Profile coming soon.

Heiko Hergert

Heiko Hergert
Joined the laboratory in 2014
My group is developing sophisticated computational many-body methods for nuclei and other strongly correlated quantum systems, and applying them to address scientific questions ranging from the validation of nature’s fundamental symmetries at the smallest scales to the origin of elements in the cosmos.

Morten Hjorth-Jensen

Morten Hjorth-Jensen
Joined the laboratory in 2012
I am a theoretical physicist with an interest in many-body theory in general, and the nuclear many-body problem and nuclear structure problems in particular.

Dean Lee

Dean Lee
Joined the laboratory in 2017
The Lee research group is focused on connecting fundamental physics to forefront experiments. 

Witek Nazarewicz

Witek Nazarewicz
Joined the laboratory in 2014
Atomic nuclei, the core of matter and the fuel of stars, are self-bound collections of protons and neutrons (nucleons) that interact through forces that have their origin in quantum chromo-dynamics.

Filomena Nunes

Filomena Nunes
Joined the laboratory in 2003
Unstable nuclei are mostly studied through reactions, because they decay back to stability, often lasting less than a few seconds. 

Scott Pratt

Scott Pratt
Joined the laboratory in 1992
By colliding heavy ions, such as gold or lead nuclei, at high energies, extremely hot and dense environments are produced, with temperatures exceeding trillions of Kelvin. 

Vladimir Zelevinsky

Vladimir Zelevinsky
Joined the laboratory in 1992
A complex nucleus is a great example of mesoscopic systems, in between microscopic and macroscopic worlds, with wealth of problems typical for both.