Welcome First Year Students 2026-27

Mary Becker mary.becker@yale.edu San Diego State University	Research Interests I want to keep asking foundational questions about the universe and about how humans perceive it, at the intersection of neuroscience and physics, and to lead communities that help others follow purposeful, sometimes non-linear, paths into science. About Me I am a marathon open water swimmer and a drowning prevention advocate.
Andrew Calabrese-Day andrew.calabrese-day@yale.edu University of Michigan	Research Interests As someone interested in experimental high-energy physics, I am looking forward to working in the Yale ATLAS group to stress-test the Standard Model, as well as search for exciting new physics! About Me I’ve been playing the violin since I was a little kid, and participated in several campus performances during my undergraduate degree. I’m looking forward to exploring the music scene here in New Haven, both as a listener and a performer!
Brandon Choi brandon.choi@yale.edu Georgia Institute of Technology	Research Interests Particle theory, condensed matter theory. About Me I love meeting new people and getting lost in new environments. I also love dry humor.
Bakir Husremovic bakir.husremovic@yale.edu Hamilton College	Research Interests Quantum computing and networking; Quantum information science; Superconducting qubits About Me I was on the Bosnian national U15 table tennis team!
Avi Kaufman avi.kaufman@yale.edu University of Iowa	Research Interests My research interests lie at the intersection of quantum computing, quantum information science, and computational physics. About Me Something interesting about me is that I am a competitive Minesweeper player ranked 217th in the United States and 1839th worldwide on Minesweeper Online. I am hoping to crack the top 1000 this year. I am also training for a full Ironman triathlon. I grew up with competitive swimming, running, and a few childhood triathlons, so this feels like the ultimate athletic goal for me. When I am not working or training, I am usually watching the NBA, cheering for the San Antonio Spurs, or watching anime, with Solo Leveling as my favorite.
Gabriel Kreuzer gabriel.kreuzer@yale.edu University of California, Berkeley	Research Interests I am interested in Ultracold Atoms and Quantum Statistical Mechanics About Me During my free time you can find me frequently scuba diving.
Darshan Lakshminarayanan darshan.lakshminarayanan@yale.edu Rutgers University	Research Interests I am interested in high energy particle physics experiment. Particularly, I am looking forward to being a part of the Yale ATLAS team, searching for interesting physics from the high-speed collisions at the LHC. About Me Volleyball is one of my favorite things to do outside of physics, and I’ve spent over 10 years of my life playing it!
Abobakar Sediq Miakhel abobakarsediq.miakhel@yale.edu University of Rochester	Research Interests Quantum information theory, error correction, and surface codes About Me In my free time, I enjoy playing cricket, going running and also meeting people from around the world.
Siddharth Sane siddharth.sane@yale.edu Simon Fraser University	Research Interests Biophysics; nonequilibrium statistical mechanics; stochastic thermodynamics; nonlinear dynamics; soft and active matter physics About Me I won a Bad Ad-hoc Hypothesis competition ("BAHfest") in 2023.
Jay Sardesai jay.sardesai@yale.edu University of Cambridge	Research Interests I’m currently interested in quantum computing hardware, particularly in superconducting circuits (which is what drew me to Yale). I also quite like the intersection of quantum information with atomic and optical physics, such as in Rydberg atoms and NVs. Additionally, I’m also interested to learn more about quantum information scrambling and many-body localization. I am also keenly following developments in particle physics, following a summer internship at CERN. About Me I really enjoy jazz and funk music, and currently play bass guitar (and sometimes piano) in a jazz band here in Cambridge. I'd definitely hope to stay involved in jazz music in some form in Yale.
Robert Scott robert.scott.rls242@yale.edu Yale University	Research Interests Experimental biological physics and active matter. About Me I like comics, books, and sports.
Aarav Sindhwad aarav.sindhwad@yale.edu University of California, Berkeley	Research Interests Experimental Particle Physics and Quantum Sensing. Research experience lies in axion dark matter experiments (HAYSTAC/ALPHA) and neutrino less-double beta decay (CUORE/CUPID). About Me I love playing sports, currently hyped for the FIFA WC 2026! Also really enjoy reading and playing chess. And I really can't choose between mountains and beaches, having recently travelled to both Yosemite and Miami :)
Daniel Skliannyi daniel.skliannyi@yale.edu Weizmann Institute of Science	Research Interests Theoretical and Mathematical Physics About Me Big fan of long walks, history podcasts, and trying ambitious dessert recipes. Always up for exploring a new city or getting lost in a good conversation.
Honglue Tang honglue.tang@yale.edu Wuhan University	Research Interests Cosmology and Astrophysics; Astrophysical Instrumentation; Radio Astronomy About Me Whenever I encounter something new, I'm either immediately interested in it or figuring out how to make it interesting.
Paarth Tara paarth.tara@yale.edu Columbia University	Research Interests Biophysics, Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, and Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics. About Me I'm a big fan of capybaras, and whenever I travel I try to find the nearest capybara to visit.