Faculty Research Awards

2020 Awards

Sigma Xi Awards for Outstanding Research in Physical Sciences

Dr. Oz Bonfim was selected as an established researcher in the physical sciences. He has been in the Department of Physics at the University of Portland since 2001. He is an exceptional teacher and a prolific scholar, publishing over 50 research articles over the course of his academic career. He is a theoretical/computational physicist who studies the physics of quantum systems, particularly quantum phase transitions in spin systems. His work seeks to understand the changes in phase that occur in exotic quantum systems that exist at ultra-cold temperatures. The quantum systems that he studies (spin waves) have been proposed as a potential means of carrying and processing information that does not rely on electron currents. Future applications include the development of computers in which data is processed without the transfer of charged particles like electrons; such processing has the potential to result in a dramatic increase of speed and performance.

Dr. Max Schlosshauer was selected as an early-career researcher in the physical sciences. He joined the Physics Department at the University of Portland in 2012. He is a gifted teacher and a physicist of great promise, working in the field of quantum mechanics, specifically as it relates to quantum measurement and foundational questions in quantum mechanics. He is an active theorist who also maintains a vibrant undergraduate research program in experimental quantum physics. His work asks important questions about our understanding of quantum mechanics and about how one might exploit the unique and strange aspects of quantum mechanical systems in technologically useful ways. His work has long-range applications in the field of quantum information science and quantum computing.