Mission Statement
The Physics Graduate Community (PGC) was founded by UF physics students to facilitate the building of community and a robust peer-to-peer resource network for graduate students within the physics department!
Our goal is to improve the professional, academic, and social development of the graduate student community through frequent interactions including seminars, panels, presentations, and the sharing of snacks and meals. We regularly host events within the department that are designed to help our peers through all aspects of their careers.
Arriving in Gainesville for the first time, studying for homework and exams, choosing courses and research groups, preparing for a conference or talk, writing a paper or dissertation, finding housing, and accessing key campus resources such as health and wellness services are challenges common to all physics graduate students. The PGC is here to help you through these challenges by leveraging the knowledge and experiences of your fellow peers.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact any of the PGC organizers listed below. We look forward to hearing from you!
Current Organizers:
Davis Chen, Director
Office: B51
Email: dclover23@ufl.edu
Advisor: Dominique Laroche
Bio: Although I was born in Ohio, I have lived in Florida for most of my life. Besides research, I enjoy attending music events, rock climbing, playing board/video games, cooking, and making/drinking coffee.
Research Interests: I work on fabricating and probing the magnetotransport properties of SiGe bilayer devices at low temperature and high magnetic field to study the onset of exciton condensation and valley splitting effects.
Alejandro (Alex) Busto, Vice Director
Office: B168
Email: abusto@ufl.edu
Advisor: Xiao-Xiao Zhang
Bio: I grew up in central Florida, right in Disney’s backyard. I’m a double gator, and in my free time I enjoy cooking, listening to audiobooks, taking care of my pet turtle, and being in nature.
Research Interests: I work with 2D semiconductors to make heterostructure devices, which act as a platform to explore physics at ultimate thinness. Currently I am working on the optical observation of exciton condensate in a transition metal dichalcogenide monolayer.
Abhishek Chattaraj, Co-NAS Coordinator
Office: 2040
Email: a.chattaraj@ufl.edu
Advisor: Jeff Andrews
Bio: I grew up in West Bengal, India, and studied across multiple states, experiencing diverse languages and cultures. This sparked my curiosity about social and cultural dynamics, which I love exploring. In my free time, I enjoy reading, playing chess, soccer, the ukulele, and lately, I’ve taken up distance running. I’ve been fascinated by the night sky since childhood and still take every chance to gaze at it whenever I can.
Research Interests: My research explores the formation and evolution of compact binary systems, including stellar-mass black holes, neutron stars and white dwarfs, which are key sources for LIGO, LISA, Hubble, Fermi, and more. By combining observations with binary modeling, I aim to refine our understanding of the astrophysical processes shaping the lives of massive stars and address open questions in binary evolution theory.
Sam Dillon, Archivist
Office: 2323
Email: samjhdillon@ufl.edu
Advisor: Richard Hennig
Bio: Sam was raised in the Florida panhandle and happy to call Gainesville his home for now. When he isn’t sitting at his desk writing code and pulling out his hair, he likes to spend his time outside, with friends, or watching reality TV. If you ever spot a man doing choreography on his bike, that’s probably Sam. Catch him at the pool, eating Krishna lunch, or practicing his handstands at Depot Park.
Research Interests: I work with computational condensed matter. My interests there are in materials simulation and machine-learned interatomic potentials. I have other interest in studying spin-crossover complexes as possible candidates for new spin-based qubits.
Soumitra (Sam) Ganguly, GSPS Coordinator
Office: B69
Email: s.ganguly@ufl.edu
Advisor: Edwin Pedrozo
Bio: I grew up in the city of Kolkata in Northeast India. I came to the US for college in 2018 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Physics from Troy University in Alabama. In Fall 2021, I joined the PhD program here at UF. The two main passions I have found in my life are physics and film. So, when the Physics stops, I spend my time watching, analyzing, writing, and trying to make (naively) movies. I also enjoy racquet sports, coffee, and dancing!
Research Interests: I am working in an experimental Molecular and Optical Physics group. Our goal is to produce and laser cool diatomic molecules so that we can trap them and study entanglement within their rich internal quantum structure using cavity quantum electrodynamics.
Nicholas (Nick) Johnson, Treasurer
Office: 1133
Email: njohnson4@ufl.edu
Advisor: David Tanner
Bio: I grew up in Marbury, Alabama. I received my BS in physics from Troy University in 2021. I enjoy playing guitar, watching sports, and being outdoors.
Research Interests: My research is focused on developing and improving optical technology used in gravitational wave detectors.
Jessica (Jesse) Kelley-Derzon, Outreach Coordinator
Office: 2151
Email: jkelleyderzon@ufl.edu
Advisor: Desika Narayanan
Bio: I grew up in New Hampshire and completed my undergraduate degree in physics and mathematics at Skidmore College. I love rock climbing and other outdoors activities. I also have an adorable dog named Banjo, and we go on a lot of good walks together.
Research Interests: I have always been interested in astrophysics research. In the past I have researched large scale structure and optics for the LIGO experiment. Currently I’m using cosmological simulations to understand galaxy formation and evolution in the Universe. My current project involves understanding UV luminosity functions for high redshift galaxies.
Christos (Chris) Litos, Co-GG Coordinator
Office: 2058
Email: c.litos@ufl.edu
Advisor: Wei Xue
Bio: I am from a small town in northern Greece. I got my BCs in Physics at the University of Crete, Greece and I moved to Florida in 2022 to join the Physics Department as a graduate student. Besides physics, I enjoy binge watching sitcoms, going to the gym, playing sports (especially volleyball) and reading books.
Research Interests: I work on Cosmology and Particle Physics under Professor Wei Xue.
Jay Motka, Mentorship Coordinator
Office: 2110
Email: jaymotka@ufl.edu
Advisor: Laura Blecha
Bio: Originally from India, I graduated from the University of Arizona with a BS in Physics and Astronomy. Apart from Physics, I enjoy writing, reading, cooking, and ballroom dancing.
Research Interests: My background is in theoretical astrophysics and computational cosmology with my work focused on synthetic observations of galaxy simulations and machine learning techniques used in the survey strategy of a large-scale astronomical survey, LSST.
Pranav Satheesh, Co-NAS Coordinator
Office: 2081
Email: pranavsatheesh@ufl.edu
Advisor: Laura Blecha
Bio: I grew up in the beautiful state of Kerala in south India. I did my undergrad in physics at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and moved to UF for my PhD in 2022. Apart from research, I am also passionate about science communication. During my free time, you will likely find me at the movie theatre catching up on the latest indie release and logging it on Letterboxd. I also enjoy drawing, cooking, and playing board games with friends.
Research Interests: I work with supermassive black holes in my research. They are the biggest kind of black holes found at the centers of most galaxies. They are also some of the most energetic objects in our universe but a lot about their origins and the way they influence galaxy evolution is unknown to us. My goal is to use cosmological simulations and theoretical modeling to understand the dynamics of supermassive black holes, particularly when they come together to form a binary in the event of a galaxy merger. I am a member of Nanograv, one of the pulsar timing array collaborations behind the search for gravitational wave background from supermassive black holes.
Abhisek Sinha, Co-LAGS Coordinator
Office: 2155
Email: abhiseksinha@ufl.edu
Advisor: Gabriel Birzu
Bio: I grew up in Odisha, India. I studied Physics at IISER Kolkata and joined UF for my PhD in 2023. I am an avid quizzer and film enthusiast and like playing archaic games like Age of Empires. I also love cooking and learning about different cuisines from around the world.
Research Interests: I am interested in understanding disorder(“complex”) systems in physics, biology, etc. Currently, I am working on random matrix models for Anderson phase transition and nonequilibrium models in theoretical ecology.
Dylan Tagrin, Co-LAGS Coordinator
Office: B67
Email: tagrindylan@ufl.edu
Advisor: Amlan Biswas
Bio: I grew up in St. Augustine, Florida, and have studied at UF since 2017 for both my BS and PhD in Physics. I’ve traveled across the US and love seeing all the different subcultures. If I learned anything from traveling it’s that I hate the heat and eagerly await the days I can exist in a colder climate. I can be frequently seen wearing my iconic brown hiking boots everywhere, which rarely fit the rest of my outfit.
Research Interests: My research is focused on characterizing the magnetic properties of thin film manganites by utilizing their electrical transport properties and fabricating microstructures on them. This research has some potential applications in spintronic devices for high end devices.
Other Organizers: Ethan Steele (co-Mentorship Coordinator)
Retired Organizers
Raed Diab, GSPS Coordinator (2023-2024)
Advisor: Paul Fulda
Matthew Dittrich, General Organizer (2022-2023)
Advisor: Philip Chang
Alex Hipp, General Organizer (2022-2023)
Advisor: David Tanner
Don George, Photographer (2020-2024)
Advisor: Guido Mueller
Rebika Makaju, GSPS Coordinator (2021-2022) & Archivist (2022-2024)
Advisor: Dominique Laroche
David Sadek, Treasurer (2022-2023)
Advisor: Tarek Saab
Mayra Silva, Co-Mentoring Coordinator (2022)
Advisor: Tarek Saab
Brooke Emison, Co-Vice Director (2022-2023)
Advisor: Purushottam Dixit
Antonios Kyriazis, Columnist (2021-2023)
Advisor: Pierre Sikivie
Andrew Goetz, GSPS Coordinator (2022-2023)
Advisor: Purushottam Dixit
Jake Rosenzweig, Director (2020-2022)
Advisor: Andrey Korytov
Mayar Shahin, Vice Director (2021-2022); Director (2022-2023)
Advisor: Purushottam Dixit
Hoda Akl, Treasurer (2021-2022)
Advisor: Purushottam Dixit
Alexander Schachtner, Founding Member
Advisor: Andrew Rinzler
Suzanne Rosenzweig, Founding Member
Advisor: Jacobo Konigsberg
Sanjib Katuwal, Founding Member
Advisor: Richard Woodard
1-on-1 Mentors:
2024-25:
Bariana Bowman; Alejandro Busto; Matthew Dittrich; Sam Dillon; Liza Godziashvili; Panos Kotoulas; Christos Litos; Sydney Mutchnick; William Ortolá Leonard; Cole Perkins; Loida Rosado Del Rio; Ethan Steele; Martha Ulloa; Boran Yesilyurt
2023:24:
Shubhagata Bhaumik; Alejandro Busto; Suyang Cai; Davis Chen; Landen Conway; Sam Dillon; Matthew Dittrich; Moaaz Elwan; Analis Evans; Joseph Fichera; Alex Hipp; Ammar Jahin; Eirini Kasdagli; Jesse Kelley-Derzon; John Koptur-Palenchar; Sagar Kumar Gupta; Antonios Kyriazis; Rebika Makaju; Zhongwei Li; Cole Perkins; Pawan Prakash; Pranav Satheesh; Mayra Silva; Liu Tao; Tongyao Wu
2022-23:
Shubhagata Bhaumik; Analis Evans; Don George; Mayra Silva; Yining You
2021-22:
Ioannis Michaloliakos; Pawan Prakash; Moinul Hossain Rahat; Jake Rosenzweig; Alex Tucker; Yining You
2020-21:
Sanjib Katuwal; Soham Kulkarni; Ioannis Michaloliakos; Taylor Miller; Moinul Hossain Rahat; Alex Roman; Jake Rosenzweig; Suzanne Rosenzweig; Mayar Shahin; Ambika Shakya; Yining You
2019-20:
Jonny Adams; Hal Hollis; Soham Kulkarni; Ivan Ishkov; Joseph McNeil; Taylor Miller; Brendan O’Brien; Ashkan Paykar; Shriram Sadashivajois
GSPS Seminar Organizers
2024-25:
Astrophysics: Jesse Kelley-Derzon & Joseph Fichera
Condensed Matter: Joshua Covey & Kamal Harrison
High Energy: Roy Forestano & Boran Yesilyurt
2023-24:
Astrophysics: Sourath Ghosh & Jesse Kelley-Derzon
Biophysics: Jiawei Dong
Condensed Matter: Soumitra Ganguly & Ananth Kandala
High Energy: Roy Forestano & Boran Yesilyurt
2022-23:
Astrophysics:
Fall 2022: Don Georga & Shubhagata Bhaumik
Spring 2023: Raed Diab & Sourath Ghosh
Biophysics: Michael Chung, Andrew Goetz & Karthik Srinivasan
Condensed Matter: Ammar Jahin & Soumitra Ganguly
High Energy: Alex Roman, Karthik Srinivasan & Roy Forestano
2021-22:
Astrophysics: Don Georga & Shubhagata Bhaumik
Biophysics: Mayar Shahin & Michael Chung & Andrew Goetz
Condensed Matter: Davis Chen & Ammar Jahin
High Energy: Yining You & Alex Roman