Washburn, Sean
Assoc. Chair; Cary C Boshamer Professor
Contact
Office: 351 ChapmanEmail: sean-at-physics.unc.edu
Phone:
Web page:
Background
EDUCATION
1982: PhD in physics, Duke University
1976: BS (summa cum laude) in physics, Stetson University
EMPLOYMENT:
2008 – present: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Assoc Chair of Physics & Astronomy
2004 – present: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Professor of Biomedical
Engineering
2003 – present: Cary C Boshamer Distinguished Professor
2001 – present: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Professor of Computer Science
1999 – 2007: University North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chair of Applied and Materials Sciences
1997 – 2002: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Lyle V Jones Professor of Physics
1996 – present: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Professor of Applied Science
1991 – present: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Professor of Physics
1982-1991: IBM Research Division, Yorktown Heights, Research Staff Member
1982: Duke University, Durham NC 27706, Research Associate
AWARDS, HONORS:
1987: Outstanding Technical Achievement Award (from IBM) for studies of conductance fluctuations.
1997: Lyle V Jones Distinguished Professor
2000: Fellow of the American Physical Society
2003: Cary C Boshamer Distinguished Professor
2004: Fellow of the Institute of Physics
Research
Original research interests were in effects of degree of structural disorder on glassy behavior in single crystals of solid molecular hydrogen. Since 1982, research has been directed toward the study of quantum mechanical effects in the transport coefficients of condensed matter systems. Several topics have been investigated including macroscopic quantum tunneling in Josephson junctions, and quantum conductance effects including Aharonov-Bohm oscillations. Since 1991 at UNC, additional research programs in intuitive computer interfaces for microscopies at nanometer-scales, surface manipulation of inorganic and organic samples, carbon nanotube mechanical and electromechanical devices have been established. At the moment the research is aimed at electrical and mechanical properties at the scale of nanometers and at applications of nanometer objects in medicine.
Publications
All publications are listed at: user.physics.unc.edu/~sean/pubs.html