Faculty Expertise
Throughout your time at Washington College, you will work with faculty in classes, lab and field work, internships, and more. Faculty serve as teachers and mentors, and as advisors for your Senior Capstone Experience (SCE). Explore the research interests of our faculty below.
Physics Faculty
Derek Thuecks
Chair of the Department of Physics
Associate Professor of Physics
Liasion to Engineering Degree Partnerships
Derek Thuecks
Chair of the Department of Physics
Associate Professor of Physics
Liasion to Engineering Degree Partnerships
Areas of Expertise
Plasma physics
Research
I am an experimental physicist who works with plasmas. Plasmas are essentially super-heated gases that have been given so much energy that the neutral gas particles are broken apart into negatively charged electrons and positively charged ions. While plasmas retain some properties of neutral gases, the presence of these charged particles result in more complex behaviors than are observed in standard fluids. Plasma Physics knowledge can be applied to understand space physics phenomena such as the sun and planetary aurora, but this knowledge is also critical to our pursuit of fusion energy production.
Karl Kehm
Joseph H. McLain Associate Professor of Physics and Environmental Science & Studies
Director of the Earth and Planetary Science Program
Assistant Dean of Grants
Karl Kehm
Joseph H. McLain Associate Professor of Physics and Environmental Science & Studies
Director of the Earth and Planetary Science Program
Assistant Dean of Grants
Areas of Expertise
Physical and chemical processes
Research
I am a physicist who studies physical and chemical processes on Earth, in the atmosphere, and in space. I use mass spectrometers in my research. These instruments count the number of atoms of different masses in a substance. I use this information to answer questions about the origin and evolution of the solar system, the fate and transport of elements on Earth, and the composition and dynamics of the upper atmosphere.
Suyog Shrestha
Assistant Professor of Physics
Suyog Shrestha
Assistant Professor of Physics
Areas of Expertise
Particle physics
Research
Research in particle physics is not just about studying particles, but also about the study of space and time; matter and energy; symmetry and conservation laws. It involves exploration of topics such as antimatter, dark matter, Higgs boson, quarks, leptons, neutrinos, extra dimensions, quantum black holes, supersymmetry, etc.
Ilukpitiye Samalka Anandagoda
Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics
Ilukpitiye Samalka Anandagoda
Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics
Areas of Expertise
Astrophysics, Supernovae
Research
I conduct research in astrophysics, focusing on modeling neutrino and gamma-ray backgrounds from supernovae. I use high-performance computing, Python and C++ scripts, Markov Chain Monte Carlo method, and Bayesian statistics to analyze and interpret large and complex datasets. I also have experience using SQL and other data science tools required for reading and handling big datasets. I am also passionate about teaching and mentoring students in physics.