Faculty Awards

BFA Awards Ceremony: John Cumalat gives keynote address; Juliet Gopinath and Michael McGeehee win research awards

Kirsten Apodaca — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:57:02 +0000

BFA Awards Ceremony: John Cumalat gives keynote address; Juliet Gopinath and Michael McGeehee win research awards Kirsten Apodaca Thu, 04/16/2026 - 08:57

Professor John Cumalat gave the keynote address at the 2026 Boulder Faculty Assembly Excellence Awards Ceremony held on Tuesday, April 7. The ceremony recognized the nine recipients of this year's faculty excellence awards in research, teaching, and leadership and service. Physics-affiliated faculty Juliet Gopinath and Michael McGehee won BFA Excellence in Research Awards.

Cumalat's address focused on his time in the Department of Physics and how the department has evolved over the years. He emphasized the importance of nominating colleagues for awards, connecting those efforts to increased departmental recognition.

Image credit: Casey Cass/University of Colorado Boulder

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Noah Finkelstein honored as CU Distinguished Professor

Kirsten Apodaca — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 23:14:17 +0000

Noah Finkelstein honored as CU Distinguished Professor Kirsten Apodaca Mon, 04/13/2026 - 17:14

Kirsten Apodaca

Noah Finkelstein has been named a Distinguished Professor, CU’s highest honor for faculty across the four-campus system.

At the University of Colorado Board of Regents meeting on Feb. 6, Finkelstein was recognized for the distinction along with five other faculty.

“I am so honored and grateful to be included among these remarkable folks who are transforming lives, disciplines, and building a better tomorrow through scholarship and action,” said Finkelstein during the regents meeting.

The award recognizes tenured faculty members who demonstrate exemplary performance in research or creative work; a record of excellence in promoting learning and student attainment of knowledge and skills; and outstanding service to the profession, the university and its affiliates. Since its inception in 1977, the honor has been awarded to 160 faculty system wide.

Finkelstein is the fourth professor from the Department of Physics to earn the rank, joining Andreas Becker, Margaret Murnane, and Carl Wieman.

"Noah's selection as a Distinguished Professor recognizes his excellence in teaching, his important research on improving physics education, and his dedicated service at CU and beyond,” says Tobin Munsat, chair and professor of physics. “Our department now celebrates four Distinguished Professors, which speaks to the quality and excellence of our faculty.”

Advancing physics education research and beyond

When Finkelstein joined the ̽��Ƶ faculty in 2003, physics education research was still emerging as a field. As ̽��Ƶ’s first full-time faculty member focused on physics education research, Finkelstein co-founded CU’s physics education research group alongside Professors Carl Wieman and Steven Pollock.

For more than two decades, Finkelstein has helped shape and advance the field by incorporating scholarly traditions from physics, educational psychology, and education. His research blends theory, experiments, and studies of student learning with curricular approaches to build more effective and inclusive environments. He leads research in how students learn, how courses are taught, and how these transformations can be scaled across institutions.

“His visionary work has transformed not just how we teach physics, but how we understand and improve STEM education worldwide,” said Chancellor Justin Schwartz at the regents meeting.

At CU, Finkelstein helped develop the Learning Assistant program, which has now been implemented at over 120 colleges and universities worldwide.

A national leader in the field, Finkelstein’s scholarly impact includes more than 180 reviewed publications, 79 journal publications, 19 chapters, 88 conference proceedings, two books, and more than 15,000 citations.

Throughout his career, Finkelstein has received a multitude of teaching awards including the Boulder Faculty Assembly Excellence in Teaching Award, the Gold Pin Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Sigma Pi Sigma Outstanding Physics Professor of the Year. In 2012, the University of Colorado named Finkelstein a Presidential Teaching Scholar, and he was the inaugural Timmerhaus Teaching Ambassador, an honor designed to promote the value of education outside the university system.

Extending his impact beyond physics, Finkelstein contributes to national policy and educational reform by advising the Association of American Universities and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. He also serves on the National Academies Board on Science Education and is a trustee of the Higher Learning Commission.

University of Colorado Anschutz Chancellor Don Elliman, who has served on the board of Higher Learning Commission for the last 12 years alongside Finkelstein, highlighted his influence during the regents meeting. Elliman said Finkelstein’s input “has had a far-reaching effect, beyond the traditional teaching environment in the halls of the University of Colorado.”

Collectively, Finkelstein’s research, teaching and national leadership reflect a career guided by impact on students, institutions, STEM education and policy. His recognition as a Distinguished Professor emphasizes both his lasting contributions to the University of Colorado and his continued positive influence on education.

“I’m so grateful to work in an institution that not only allows for but fosters the vision of a better tomorrow,” Finkelstein added.

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Professor Cindy Regal wins Brown Investigator Award

Kirsten Apodaca — Mon, 19 May 2025 17:12:33 +0000

Professor Cindy Regal wins Brown Investigator Award Kirsten Apodaca Mon, 05/19/2025 - 11:12

Cindy Regal, physics professor and JILA fellow, is one of eight investigators recognized for curiosity-driven research in chemistry or physics who will receive up to $2 million over five years.

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Disneyland for physicists: Breakthrough Prize honors scientists at world’s largest particle collider

Kirsten Apodaca — Thu, 15 May 2025 20:25:45 +0000

Disneyland for physicists: Breakthrough Prize honors scientists at world’s largest particle collider Kirsten Apodaca Thu, 05/15/2025 - 14:25

This year's award recognized the work of four international research collaborations at the Large Hadron Collider, including 32 current and former physicists at ̽��Ƶ.

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Professor and JILA Fellow Jun Ye receives the 2025 Berthold Leibinger Zukunftspreis Award

Kirsten Apodaca — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 17:50:46 +0000

Professor and JILA Fellow Jun Ye receives the 2025 Berthold Leibinger Zukunftspreis Award Kirsten Apodaca Tue, 04/15/2025 - 11:50

Jun Ye, a distinguished Fellow at JILA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and a physics professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, has been honored with the 2025 Berthold Leibinger Zukunftspreis. The award acknowledges Ye's groundbreaking work in optical clocks and frequency metrology, which has significantly advanced precision measurement and timekeeping.

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Professor John Cumalat wins 2025 Hazel Barnes Prize

Kirsten Apodaca — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 22:50:27 +0000

Professor John Cumalat wins 2025 Hazel Barnes Prize Kirsten Apodaca Fri, 04/11/2025 - 16:50

John Cumalat, professor of distinction in the University of Colorado Boulder Department of Physics, has been awarded the 2025 Hazel Barnes Prize.

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Ivan Smalyukh named fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Kirsten Apodaca — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 12:20:28 +0000

Ivan Smalyukh named fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Kirsten Apodaca Mon, 03/31/2025 - 06:20

Professor Ivan Smalyukh has been recognized for scientifically and socially distinguished achievements by the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals.

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̽��Ƶ Physics Associate Professor Rahul Nandkishore Wins 2024 Anatoly Larkin Award

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 20:16:45 +0000

̽��Ƶ Physics Associate Professor Rahul Nandkishore Wins 2024 Anatoly Larkin Award Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/22/2024 - 14:16

Kenna Hughes-Castleberry

Rahul Nandkishore, an Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder, has been honored with the 2024 Anatoly Larkin Award from the William I. Fine Theoretical Physics Institute (FTPI) at the University of Minnesota. The award citation recognizes Nandkishore “for groundbreaking contributions to the physics of quantum nonequilibrium dynamics, disordered systems, and fracton matter.”

The Anatoly Larkin Award, named after the renowned theoretical physicist, celebrates outstanding achievements in theoretical physics. The accolade is given annually to two researchers—one senior and one junior—who have made exceptional contributions to advancing the field.

Nandkishore’s work, which spans various complex areas in theoretical physics, continues to shape our understanding of many-body quantum systems and their behavior in disordered environments. His recognition by the FTPI underscores the impact and significance of his research in the scientific community.

As part of the recognition, Nandkishore will be invited to present a colloquium at the University of Minnesota's School of Physics and Astronomy.

“I am honored and grateful to receive this award,” Nandkishore stated. “Being a theoretical physicist can be a lonely business – you work hard on problems that you think are important, but at the same time you can’t help but wonder if anyone cares. It’s nice to know that the community does care, and recognizes the importance of the work you’ve been doing. I am also grateful for the unflagging efforts of the students and postdocs who have worked with me, and who helped establish many of my results, to the senior scientists who mentored me, and to my colleagues at CU who created such a supportive environment for my research.”

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CU Physics Professor Jamie Nagle Awarded ̽��Ƶ’s Distinguished Research Lectureship

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 20:19:25 +0000

CU Physics Professor Jamie Nagle Awarded ̽��Ƶ’s Distinguished Research Lectureship Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/17/2024 - 14:19

Kenna Hughes-Castleberry

University of Colorado Boulder Physics Professor Jamie Nagle has been awarded the prestigious Distinguished Research Lectureship by the university. This award is among the highest honors bestowed upon a faculty member by their peers, recognizing Nagle's distinguished body of work, academic achievements, and significant contributions to ̽��Ƶ’s educational and service missions.

The Distinguished Research Lectureship is awarded annually to a tenured faculty member, Research Professor, or Adjoint Professor who has been with the university for at least five years. A faculty review panel evaluates nominees, and those selected are invited to present a public lecture highlighting their work. The award recipients receive a $2,000 honorarium and are celebrated for their contributions to ̽��Ƶ and the broader academic community.

As a Professor of Physics, Nagle has spent much of his career investigating the early universe through high-energy nuclear physics. His research has focused on understanding the quark-gluon plasma, a state of matter theorized to have existed just microseconds after the Big Bang.

“As you go back to about 6 microseconds after the universe started, the temperature was around two trillion Kelvin,” Nagle explained. “It was theorized that protons and neutrons inside of nuclei would melt away, creating a bath of more fundamental particles—quarks and gluons.”

Nagle's work involves recreating droplets of this quark-gluon plasma in a laboratory setting by colliding large nuclei at nearly the speed of light. These collisions occur at the world’s highest energy accelerators, including the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva, Switzerland.

“In the world's highest energy accelerators, we can collide very large nuclei like gold, lead, or platinum at such high velocities that we create a tiny droplet of this 2 trillion Kelvin plasma,” he said.

Reflecting on the award, Nagle expressed deep gratitude and a sense of accomplishment: “It means a lot to me. You get to a certain middle age and are more self-confident, but this recognition feels rewarding. There's a lot of effort, and much of the hard work goes unnoticed. It’s nice to feel like the fruits of that labor are appreciated.”

The Distinguished Research Lectureship also emphasizes communicating complex scientific concepts to broader audiences. For Nagle, this is a vital part of his work: “This award is very meaningful to me because I often listen to the lectures of past recipients. It's about communicating the broader context of why this scientific research is important, not just within the microcosm of nuclear physics.”

Nagle’s lecture is expected to take place in February 2025.

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CU Physics Professor Jun Ye is Awarded the Monroe Endowed Professorship

Anonymous — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 20:13:24 +0000

CU Physics Professor Jun Ye is Awarded the Monroe Endowed Professorship Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/15/2024 - 14:13

Kenna Hughes-Castleberry

Jun Ye, a professor of physics and a JILA and NIST Fellow, has been named the inaugural holder of the Monroe Endowed Professorship in Physics. This prestigious new professorship, the result of a $1 million endowment from CU alumnus Chris Monroe, underscores the university’s growing prominence in quantum information science and applied quantum physics.

“I went to CU for graduate school simply because it looked like the best place for me to study atomic and quantum physics,” Monroe said. “Only later did I realize just how much better it was than high-drama places on the coasts. I cannot imagine a better preparation for the rest of my career having gone through CU and JILA.”

Chris Monroe, Circa 1990

Monroe, a pioneering physicist and co-founder of IonQ, Inc., established the Monroe Endowed Professorship in Physics to support ̽��Ƶ’s leadership in the rapidly evolving field of quantum research. He graduated from ̽��Ƶ in 1992 with a Ph.D. in Physics under the mentorship of Nobel Laureates Carl Wieman and Eric Cornell, then worked closely with Nobel Laureate David Wineland at nearby NIST-Boulder as they pioneered the use of individual atoms as quantum computer bits (qubits). His illustrious career has taken him to Duke University, where he is the Director of the Duke Quantum Center, and holds the Gilhuly Family Presidential Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physics at Duke. Monroe’s research has pioneered all aspects in designing and fabricating scalable quantum computers based on atomic qubits. His machines have been programmed for rudimentary quantum algorithms and simulations of complex quantum phenomena in nature. His company IonQ, the first public quantum computing company, aims to commercialize quantum computers according to a clear technology roadmap.

His vision for the CU Physics endowment, outlined in the fund agreement, is clear: “The purpose in establishing this Fund is to enable the University and JILA to expand its research and education capacity in quantum information science and applied quantum physics through an endowed professorship position that will retain current faculty or allow the University and JILA to hire the best and brightest researchers in this field.”

One of the leaders teaching the best and brightest researchers is Jun Ye, who is internationally recognized for his groundbreaking work in precision measurement, ultracold molecules, and ultra-high precision atomic clocks. His strontium lattice atomic clock, which uses laser-based technology, is currently the most accurate in the world. His very recent measurement of a nuclear transition using laser light could revolutionize clocks (and maybe even quantum computers) well into the future. Ye’s numerous accolades reflect his leadership in the field, including the 2022 Breakthrough Prize, the I.I. Rabi Prize, and the Niels Bohr Institute Medal of Honor.

Chris Monroe, Eric Cornell and Carl Wieman during the Nobel Ceremony in 2001.

“I certainly feel very honored to be a recipient of the Monroe Endowed Professorship,” Ye said. “I have known Chris for many years. It turns out that when I arrived in JILA and CU Physics as a fresh graduate student, the very first PhD defense I witnessed was Chris's work with Carl Wieman. I have regarded Chris a gold standard for JILA and CU Physics graduates ever since. He has made big impact to quantum information science, being an original practitioner, a visionary advocate, and a breakthrough technologist.”

The selection committee, led by ̽��Ƶ Physics Professor Paul Beale and including a combination of Physics department faculty and JILA Fellows, unanimously chose Ye for the position

“Jun is internationally recognized as a leader in quantum science and technology with a specialty in precision measurement,” Beale said in a statement from the selection committee. “He is a world leader in frequency combs, ultracold molecules, and ultra-high precision atomic clocks,”

The Monroe Endowed Professorship joins a distinguished lineage of other endowed positions in ̽��Ƶ’s Department of Physics. In 2021, alumnus Joseph Mitchell and his wife Cindy established the Jesse Lafayette Mitchell Endowed Chair in Experimental Physics. Alysia Marino currently holds this chair, where her research focuses on neutrino detection and the fundamental properties of these elusive particles. Additionally, the Waldo E. Rennie Endowed Professorship in Theoretical Physics, created in 2021 with funds from the trust of Waldo E. Rennie, supports Michael Hermele’s research in quantum phases of matter and strongly correlated systems.

As the holder of the new Monroe Endowed Professorship, Jun Ye is poised to continue his transformative work in quantum physics, ensuring that ̽��Ƶ remains at the forefront of quantum science research.

“I will continue to draw inspiration from Chris and help to advance the field of quantum science and precision measurement,” added Ye.

Header photo credit: R. Jacobson/NIST

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Faculty Awards

BFA Awards Ceremony: John Cumalat gives keynote address; Juliet Gopinath and Michael McGeehee win research awards

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Noah Finkelstein honored as CU Distinguished Professor

Advancing physics education research and beyond

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Professor Cindy Regal wins Brown Investigator Award

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Disneyland for physicists: Breakthrough Prize honors scientists at world’s largest particle collider

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Professor and JILA Fellow Jun Ye receives the 2025 Berthold Leibinger Zukunftspreis Award

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Professor John Cumalat wins 2025 Hazel Barnes Prize

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Ivan Smalyukh named fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

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̽����Ƶ Physics Associate Professor Rahul Nandkishore Wins 2024 Anatoly Larkin Award

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CU Physics Professor Jamie Nagle Awarded ̽����Ƶ’s Distinguished Research Lectureship

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CU Physics Professor Jun Ye is Awarded the Monroe Endowed Professorship

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̽��Ƶ Physics Associate Professor Rahul Nandkishore Wins 2024 Anatoly Larkin Award

CU Physics Professor Jamie Nagle Awarded ̽��Ƶ’s Distinguished Research Lectureship