Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS March Meeting 2021
Volume 66, Number 1
Monday–Friday, March 15–19, 2021; Virtual; Time Zone: Central Daylight Time, USA
Session A58: What Do Early-Career Physicists Do? A View of the Post-Doc ExperienceCareers Invited Live Undergrad Friendly
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Sponsoring Units: FGSA Chair: LaNell Williams, Harvard University |
Monday, March 15, 2021 8:00AM - 8:36AM Live |
A58.00001: Terp in the Secret City - being a post-doc at a national laboratory Invited Speaker: Kiersten Ruisard National labs are a foundation of publicly funded science in the US. Working at a national lab is a great opportunity to progress in research albeit in a very different environment than academia. In this talk, I reflect on my own transition from graduate school to Oak Ridge National Lab and offer perspective on life as an early career physicist at the lab. I also draw on the experience of my post-doctoral peers to offer a broader view. |
Monday, March 15, 2021 8:36AM - 9:12AM Live |
A58.00002: The Post-Doc Experience at a Large Research University Invited Speaker: Krista Freeman On paper, I am a physicist through-and-through: I earned my BS, MS, and PhD in this discipline because it challenged and engaged me academically. My research interests, on the other hand, have always been biologically inspired. As an undergraduate, I synthesized and characterized polymeric microgels with potential for drug delivery and biosensing applications. In graduate school, I edged closer to biology by quantifying the physical forces at play in the viral lifecycle. As I prepared for my doctoral defense, I realized that formal training in biology would allow me to more confidently interpret the results of my bio-physical research. I also realized that a postdoctoral research experience would be the perfect opportunity to dramatically expand and diversify my research skillset. I inquired about openings in a variety of labs specializing in everything from biotechnology to cancer research, and went through several interviews. I ultimately accepted a position in the Hatfull Lab at the University of Pittsburgh, which specializes in the interactions between bacteria and the viruses which infect them (phages). In my research, which focuses on structural and mechanistic characterization of phage proteins, I am fully immersed in microbiology and virology but also supported by my physics background. My postdoctoral goal is to build a strong biological foundation that complements my underlying physical perspective. I hope to use this combination to establish myself as a cross-disciplinary life sciences researcher with an emphasis on quantitative experimentation rooted in physical techniques. |
Monday, March 15, 2021 9:12AM - 9:48AM Live |
A58.00003: Dynamic Characterization of Spintronic Devices: MTJ high-bias write errors, and spin-orbit torque from the planar Hall effect Invited Speaker: Christopher Safranski Magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) are a promising candidate for non-volatile memory applications. In these devices, information is stored in the relative orientation between two ferromagnetic layers, separated by an insulating barrier. One layer, called a “free” layer, is switchable by exerting a spin torque from a spin polarized charge current. In principle, the switching speed increases as the amount of spin current is increased. However, at higher write currents, an increase in write-errors is often seen contrary to this expectation. We investigate the mechanism for these errors using frequency and time domain electrical measurements, in comparison to macrospin numerical simulations. We find that the formation of undesirable dynamic states between the ferromagnetic layers and interfacial layers can explain the experimental observations. Understanding of write-error mechanisms is of importance since it ultimately limits the device performance. |
Monday, March 15, 2021 9:48AM - 10:24AM Live |
A58.00004: The Post-Doc Experience at a Research University in a Large Lab Invited Speaker: Danai Montalvan What to expect when joining a big research lab as a post-doc? Are there advantages of choosing a big lab over a smaller one? What are the possible disadvantages? How can one make sure to get the most out of such an experience? |
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