The Grainger College of Engineering
Physics

Vishveshwara Receives 2012 Simons Fellowship in Theoretical Physics

2/13/2012 Celia Elliott

Associate Professor of Physics Smitha Vishveshwara will receive an inaugural Simons Foundation Fellowship in Theoretical Physics for the 2012/13 academic year. 

Written by Celia Elliott

Associate Professor of Physics Smitha Vishveshwara will receive an inaugural Simons Foundation Fellowship in Theoretical Physics for the 2012/13 academic year.  The Simons Foundation is a private organization whose primary mission is to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the physical sciences. 

The 27 scholars chosen in this first-ever nationwide competition were selected by rigorous peer review on the basis of their proposed research plan. A condensed matter theorist, Vishveshwara will use the fellowship to study topological aspects and quantum dynamics of strongly correlated systems. She has previously made pioneering contributions to our understanding of the quantum-mechanical behavior of both solid-state materials and cold atomic gases.

 

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.

Share this story

This story was published February 13, 2012.