Officers and Committees 2025-2026
Officers
Chair
Sarah Demers
Director of Graduate Admissions
David Moore
Director of Graduate Studies
Helen Caines
Graduate Program Team
Helen Caines (DGS)
Rona Ramos (program coordinator)
Stacey Watts (registrar)
Director of Undergraduate Studies
David Poland
Undergraduate Program Team
David Poland (DUS)
Daphne Klemme (registrar)
Director of Postdoctoral Affairs
Meg Urry
Joint Boards of Permanent Officers (JBPO) Quorum Members
Paul Tipton
Ramamurti Shankar
Tenure and Appointment Committee (TAC) Members
Reina Maruyama
Committees
The Undergraduate Student Advisory Committee (UGSAC) serves as a point of communication between undergraduate students interested in the physics major and the leadership of the department. The student representatives work with the Chair, the DUS, and the undergraduate program team on matters related to the physics major. Committee members meet at least once semester.
Members:
David Poland (DUS)
Sarah Demers (Chair)
Daphne Klemme (Undergraduate Registrar)
Hope Applegate, ‘27
Ian Gill, YC’27
Iris Henry, ‘27
Hyunjo Kim, YC’28
Reece Kirkpatrick, YC’25
June Lee, YC’26
Vasilisa Malenkiy, YC’27
Ethan Martinez, YC’26
Shaun Pexton, YC’26
George Ploumis, YC’26
Pranet Sharma, YC’26
Robin Tsai, YC’27
Jeffrey Wei, YC’27
Helen Xiong, YC’28
The Graduate Student Advisory Committee serves as a point of communication between the graduate students and the administration of the department. The committee advises the Chair, the DGS, and other faculty on matters related to graduate students and the graduate program, including (but not limited to) helping plan and organize annually scheduled departmental events. The committee members also advocate on behalf of graduate students with the Chair and DGS. Committee members meet with the Chair and DGS once a month. The committee also meets internally once a month while regularly soliciting feedback from other students in their cohorts.
Committee members are appointed for one calendar year. The composition of the committee includes at least one representative from each cohort, with a primary goal of representing inclusive and diverse sets of interests. At the end of the fall semester students are asked to submit nominations for the following calendar year. The Chair in consultation with the DGS and the graduate program team appoints the committee.
Members:
Helen Caines (DGS)
Sarah Demers (Chair)
Rona Ramos (Graduate Program Coordinator)
Stacey Watts (Graduate Registrar)
(Student members to be announced)
The Postdoc Advisory Committee serves as a point of communication between the postdocs (including junior research scientists) and the administration of the department. The committee advises the Chair, the Director of Postdoctoral Affairs, and other faculty on matters related to postdocs and the postdoc program, including (but not limited to) helping plan and organize annually scheduled departmental events. The committee also advocate on behalf of postdocs with the Chair and the Director of Postdoctoral Affairs. Committee members are appointed for one calendar year. The composition of the committee includes postdocs who represent inclusive and diverse sets of interests. Committee members meet regularly with the Chair and the Director of Postdoctoral Affairs. The committee is expected to meet monthly and at least four times a year with the Chair and the Director of Postdoctoral Affairs.
Members:
Meg Urry (Director of Postdoctoral Affairs)
Sarah Demers (Chair)
Kirstin Franzman (Appointments Coordinator)
(Postdoctoral members to be announced)
Yale Physics sponsors prize lectures in physics, bringing distinguished scientists to Yale to present results of frontier research and interact with our faculty, research staff, and students. The weekly colloquium series of the Yale Physics Department is called the Physics Club. These lectures are aimed at graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, research staff and faculty, and are of general interest to the Department of Physics, as well as Applied Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematics.
Members
Fall 2025-Spring 2026
Konrad Lehnert (chair)
Walter Goldberger
Nikhil Padmanabhan
Laura Havener
Simon Mochrie
Facilities and space are critical to the Physics Department’s mission in research, teaching, and outreach. They also play a crucial role in building community and fostering interactions within the department and beyond. This committee will advise the department and its Chair on the coordination and planning of space and facilities issues in the department. The committee and its members may also be asked to assist as department liaisons to university planning efforts.
Members:
Jack Harris (SPL, PSEB)
Stephen Irons (SCL, SPL)
Chiara Mingarelli (KT)
Simon Mochrie (SPL, YSB)
Alison Sweeney (Qbio, YSB)
Adriane Steinacker (KT)
Andy Szymkowiak (KT, WLA)
Elena Siuzdak (Lead Administrator)
Maria White (Operations Manager)
Karsten Heeger (Department Chair, ex officio, WL, PSEB)
Teaching assignments for the department are done by the Chair, in consultation with the DUS & DGS and graduate and undergraduate program teams.
Members:
The Mission of the Climate and Diversity Committee is to support the Department’s goals to provide a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment for every member of our community. We are committed to creating a work place whose core principles are based on diversity, equity, and inclusion for every staff member, student, and faculty as we strive to obtain our goals of excellence in research, teaching, and mentoring.
Members:
Rona Ramos (chair)
Ben Machta
Laura Havener
Karsten Heeger (department chair, ex officio)
The vision of APS-IDEA is that, as a result of collective efforts, physics and related fields will become more inclusive of all social identities, with a diversity reflective of the nation, and with an equitable distribution of opportunities and resources.
Members
Faculty
- Helen Caines (She/her/hers), co-leader
- Rona Ramos (She/her/hers), co-leader
- Larry Gladney (He/him/his)
- Karsten Heeger (He/him/his)
- Reina Maruyama (She/her/hers)
- Meg Urry (She/her/hers)
Postdoctoral Associates
- TBA
Graduate Students
- TBA
Undergraduate Students
- TBA
Staff
- Geriana Van Atta (She/her/hers)
The Outreach Committee plans, coordinates and promotes the different outreach activities in the Physics Department, including (but not limited to) Girls Science Investigation, Pathways to Science, Physics Olympics, and the Physics Open House. The committee also works with the Physics Chair on preparing proposals and budget plans for outreach activities, and collaborates with Wright Lab and the Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (YCAA) on their outreach programs.
Members:
Caitlin Hansen (Chair)
Paul Noel
Charles Brown
Eduardo Higino da Silva Neto
Laura Havener
Victoria Misenti
Rona Ramos
- QuARK (Queer Affiliated fRiends of physiKs) - Jack Harris
- Yale Physics Department Happy Hour - Rona Ramos
- Yale Society of Physics Students (SPS) - David Poland
- Yale Gender Representation in Physics - Simon Mochrie
- Yale Women in Physics (WiP) - Undergraduate - Reina Maruyama
- History and Foundations of Physics Club (HoFoP) - Priyamvada Natarajan
- Kimball Smith Series (KSS) Event Series on Science, Ethics, and International Affairs - Karsten Heeger
Nemin Wei
Shankar Ganesh