Commencement 2024-2025

Trinity Communications

The Physics department celebrated its 2024-2025 graduates with a diploma ceremony on Sunday, May 11 at the Love Auditorium & Hall of Science, following Duke's main commencement event. 

The program included a celebratory lunch and a welcome address by Professor Steffen Bass, Chair of the Physics department. Following the welcome address, Professors Ayana Arce, Director of Undergraduate Studies, John Mercer, Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies and Mark Kruse, Director of Graduate Studies, presented diplomas to all graduates with a degree in Physics. 

 
First Majors in Physics
Graduates face the camera
Duke Physics celebrated its 2025 graduates (pictured here with Director of Undergraduate Studies Ayanna Arce and Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies John Mercer) with a ceremony on May 12th. (Photo courtesy of Duke Physics)

Ezra Morton Bader 
Ava Claire Bailey 
Brooke Savannah Blaisdell 
Rowan Carruth Helleher
Dmitrii Khitrin *
Mauro Francis Mastrapasqua
Elizabeth Hurst Miller
Nik Narain 
Danming Peng 
Madeleine Rowe Roberts ** ΣΠΣ
Chris Alexander Viloria 

Second Majors in Physics

Ryan Arthur Henderson **
Rachel Leigh Haplan
Kevin Li 
Michelle Riemann 
Harris Tak On Tong 
Caroline Winakur 
Philip Xue 

First Majors in Biophysics

Rohan Manish Bhansali

Minors in Physics

Claire Shen Barry
Tharindu Anthony Fernando 
Adam Redwan Rouzky 
Abigail Yvonne Straubaugh-Hjelmstad

Rodney I. McCormick Award Recipient 

Ryan Arthur Henderson  

Daphne Chang Memorial Award Recipient

Madeleine Rorve Roberts 

Graduation with Distinction in Physics

Dmitrii Khitrin: Graduation with Distinction [Advisor: Kenneth Brown] — Accurate Observable Estimation with Probabilistic Mixture of Noisy Channels. *

Madeleine Rorve Roberts: Graduation with High Distinction [Advisor: Kate Scholberg] — Modeling Neutrino Flux Emitted from a 1st Order §CD Phase Transition in Phase Driven Explosion (PDE) Supernovae to Search for Hybrid Stars. **ΣΠΣ

Ryan Arthur Henderson: Graduation with High Distinction [Advisor: Gleb Finkelstein] — Techniques for Fabricating and Probing Low-temperature 2D Systems.**

* Graduation with Distinction – Requires a significant thesis with originality and thesis defense.

** Graduation with High Distinction – Highest Honor in Physics. Requires a thesis comparable to papers in peer reviewed journals and unanimous support from thesis committee members.

ΣΠΣ: Physics Honor Society

Rodney I. McCormick Award: This award commemorates a former Associate Director of the Duke Free Electron Laser Laboratory, Rod McCormick, and is given in recognition of the research accomplishments of a physics undergraduate student.

Daphne Y. Chang Award: This award commemorates Daphne Y. Chang (Trinity 2005), a Duke Physics major with an outstanding record of research and contributions in the department who passed away in 2009.

 

Doctor of Philosophy in Physics

Summer 2024

PhD graduates hold their diplomas and look at the camera
The recently graduated Doctors of Philosophy in Physics. (Photo courtesy Duke Physics)

Alexey Bondarev
Xincheng Lin
Xiaoxuan Jian
Ke Sun 
Masaya Yamamoto

Fall 2024

Tyler Ellis Johnson

Spring 2025

Tianyi Chen 
Matthew Ennis 
Mingyu Kang 
Mingru Li 
Swapnil Dharmendrahv-hai Patel
Erik Robert Peterson 
George Yang Schwartz 
Lalit Yadav 
Shiv Akshar Yadavalli 

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation in Physics

Dr. Alexey Bondarev: [Advisor: Harold Baranger] — Chiral Andreev reflection at graphene-­superconductor interfaces.  

Dr. Tianyi Chen: [Advisor: Kenneth Brown] — Simplifying Trapped-Ion Quantum Computing Control: Automated Lasers and Single-Tone Two-Qubit Gates.  

Dr. Matthew Ennis: [Advisor: Sara Haravifard] — Investigating the Magnetic Properties of Frustrated Spin Systems: Triangular and Square Lattices.  

Dr. Xiaoxuan Jian: [Advisor: Christoph Schmidt] — Material Properties and Mechanosensing in Cells and Organs Under Extreme Forces.  

Dr. Tyler Ellis Johnson: [Advisor: Phillip Barbeau] — The First Indication of Neutrino-Induced Nuclear Fission.  

Dr. Mingyu Kang: [Advisor: Kenneth Brown] — Trowards Quantum Advantage with Trapped Ions.  

Dr. Mingru Li: [Advisor: Christoph Schmidt] — Exploring Cell Mechanics Using Optical Tweezers.  

Dr. Xincheng Lin: [Advisor: Roxanne Springer] — Effective Field Theory and Approximate Symmetries for Low-Energy Few-Body Systems. 

Dr. Swapnil Dharmendrahv-hai Patel: [Advisor: Henneth Brown] — Cold Chemistry and Precision Spectroscopy of CaH+ Molecular Ions. 

Dr. Erik Robert Peterson: [Advisor: Daniel Scolnic] — Improving the Supernova Hubble Diagram on Both Axes. 

Dr. George Yang Schwartz: [Advisor: Jungsang Kim] — Developing the Tools for Effective Quantum Computing with Trapped Ions.

Dr. Ke Sun: [Advisor: ]ungsang Kim] — Quantum Simulation of Electron Transfer Dynamics Using a Trapped-Ion System. 

Dr. Lalit Yadav: [Advisor: Sara Haravifard] — Investigating the Magnetic Properties of Frustrated Spin Systems: Square and Breathing Pyrochlore Lattices. 

Dr. Shiv Yadavalli: [Advisor: Iman Marvian] — Extracting Quantum Information in a Noisy World. 

Dr. Masaya Yamamoto: [Advisor: Michael Troxel] — Unfolding Structure Formation in the Dark Universe via Weak Gravitational Lensing: from Pixels to Cosmology in the Dark Energy Survey and Roman Space Telescope.