Education

Employment

Research Interests

• Principal research interests involve structural studies of nanostructure systems; specifically, the use of the synchrotron X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) in the elucidation of structural details of the nanocrystals formation.  Systems of fundamental scientific and technological interest are investigated, with definitive measurements made of their surface, bulk, interface, and nano-scale electronic properties.  Nanoscale science is extremely interesting and offers exciting opportunities to develop novel materials for technological applications owing to the useful and exploitable properties of nanomaterials.
• The X-ray absorption spectrum contains information on the distribution of electronic unoccupied states with symmetry allowed by dipole selection rules for X-ray transitions and concerns only the distribution of those electronic unoccupied states placed around the atom whose absorption edge is studied. The chemical bonding of the absorbing atom and the electronic structure influence the X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), while the Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) method examines the average distances from the absorbing atom to the nearest atomic shells and the number of neighboring atoms.
• This research largely requires the use of very intense X-rays available only at synchrotron-radiation sources. A synchrotron light – or synchrotron radiation – source produces very intense pulses of light/X-rays, with wavelengths and intensities that allow detailed studies of objects ranging in size from human cells, through viruses down to atoms, with a precision that is not possible by other means.  Synchrotron radiation is nowadays considered an essential way of promoting many modern technologies and fostering interdisciplinary activities. To this end, I have been very active with a research group for the XAFS measurements of the Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) in Jorden. Since 1996 I have performed various XAFS measurements at HASYLAB (Desy-Hamburg) - Germany uses synchrotron radiation from the DORIS storage ring. These measurements have produced many published papers some of them listed in the following references.

Scientific interests

For me, teaching is an important component of an academic career. As a physicist I

am motivated not only by the “pleasure of finding things out," but also explaining them

to others. I receive great intellectual pleasure from explaining physical concepts and seeing

students understand them. I feel that it is essential to keep students involved in the subject,

and convey to them not just the information but the concepts and thought processes that

make up physics.  I teach a range of courses in the Physics Department. In the last years I've taught:

• Solid state and Crystal structure
• Principles and Applications of Electricity, Magnetism, and Optics
• Experimental Physics
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Tutorial Nature & Properties of Materials
• General Physics-I

Courses

Areas of expertise