The Grainger College of Engineering
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Vishveshwara named 2010 ACI Fellow by NSF

8/12/2010 Celia Elliott

Assistant Professor of Physics Smitha Vishveshwara has been recognized by the National Science Foundation "for her contributions to exploration for new states of matter and for promoting career opportunities for women in science."

Written by Celia Elliott

Assistant Professor of Physics Smitha Vishveshwara, who was named a 2010 American Competitiveness and Innovation Fellow by the National Science Foundation on August 12, was recognized "for her contributions to exploration for new states of matter and for promoting career opportunities for women in science."  Selections were made based on the impact of the Fellows' research activities and their exemplary records of integrating research and education and reaching beyond their offices and classrooms to use science for society's welfare. 

Vishveshwara is a condensed matter theorist whose research interests span a broad range of topics in condensed matter physics, and in particular, in strongly correlated states of matter at scales where quantum phenomena prevail. her recent work has explored superfluid-Mott phases of bosons in optical lattices, superconducting proximity effects, field effects in carbon nanotubes and "fractionalization" in topologically ordered materials. She maintains strong collaborative ties with experimentalists studying related topics. 

Two of her current interests, the dynamics of quenches in quantum systems and topological order, will be the focus of Vishveshwara's ACI fellowship.  She plans to study quenching in systems undergoing phase transitions and to explore topological systems with an eye towards harnessing the information carried in different topological sectors.

The National Science Foundation supports the ACI program as part of its emphasis on enabling transformative research that contributes to the needs of society and helps to ensure that the United States remains competitive and innovative in the fast-paced, science- and technology-intensive world of the 21st century. 

 

Madeline Stover is a physics doctoral student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign studying atmospheric dynamics applied to forest conservation. She interns as a science writer for Illinois Physics, where she also co-hosts the podcast Emergence along with fellow physics graduate student Mari Cieszynski. When Stover is not doing research or communications, she enjoys hosting her local radio show, singing with her band, and cooking with friends.

Daniel Inafuku graduated from Illinois Physics with a PhD and now works as a science writer. At Illinois, he conducted scientific research in mathematical biology and mathematical physics. In addition to his research interests, Daniel is a science video media creator.

Karmela Padavic-Callaghan, Ph. D. is a science writer and an educator. She teaches college and high school physics and mathematics courses, and her writing has been published in popular science outlets such as WIRED, Scientific American, Physics World, and New Scientist. She earned a Ph. D. in Physics from UIUC in 2019 and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Garrett R. Williams is an Illinois Physics Ph.D. Candidate and science writer. He has been recognized as the winner of the 2020 APS History of Physics Essay Competition and as a finalist in the 2021 AAAS Science and Human Rights Essay Competition. He was also an invited author in the 2021 #BlackinPhysics Week series published by Physics Today and Physics World. 

 

Jamie Hendrickson is a writer and content creator in higher education communications. They earned their M.A. in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2021. In addition to their communications work, they are a published area studies scholar and Russian-to-English translator.

Karmela Padavic-Callaghan, Ph. D. is a science writer and an educator. She teaches college and high school physics and mathematics courses, and her writing has been published in popular science outlets such as WIRED, Scientific American, Physics World, and New Scientist. She earned a Ph. D. in Physics from UIUC in 2019 and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.

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This story was published August 12, 2010.