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Summer Research Opportunities

Haverford Summer Research Opportunities

The faculty who have summer research positions available are listed here. These positions are primarily intended for Haverford College and Bryn Mawr College students. There will be an informal presentation of summer research projects by faculty in the first 3 weeks of spring semester.

Applying for Summer Research Jobs in Haverford Physics/Astro

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. on the Friday Spring Break begins

  1. Look at the information below for each department faculty member about their research projects, number of expected positions, and requirements.
  2. Contact the faculty members you're interested in doing research with according to their preferences (see below).
  3. Note that these departmental summer research jobs come with a stipend. You do not need to have applied to the KINSC to be considered.
  4. Complete this brief Summer Research Application. (You must fill out the form below to be considered for departmental funding, even if you already applied to the KINSC.)
  5. You may complete this application more than once if you have any updates. (Let us know if you change your preferences or accept a job elsewhere.)

Note Even if you've already told a professor that you would like to apply for their lab, you must also fill out this form to be considered for on-campus research. Haverford and Bryn Mawr students receive priority for on-campus jobs.

Faculty Available Positions Research Topic How to Express Interest

Suzanne Amador Kane

 I am interested in sponsoring students at all levels (first years to juniors) for the KINSC summer funding; I also expect to have my own funding for 1 to 2 students. For the latter, while I typically give preference to current juniors and then sophomores and then first-years, every year we hire first-years for research. Biomechanics & Physics of Animal Behavior
Research group homepage		 Please samador [at] haverford.edu (email) a brief explanation of your interests for the summer. I will follow up with you whether or not we need to meet before you fill out the application form.

Ted Brzinski

 2-5 students (I anticipate having funding for 2-3 students and may take on others who apply for KINSC or other funding) preference to current juniors and then sophomores. Research projects this summer will focus on the physics of particle-laden fluid flows, geometrically cohesive granular materials, planetesimal formation and asteroid rheology, and the non-linear acoustics of failure in disordered solids.
squishlab.org		 Please tbrzinski [at] haverford.edu (email) a brief explanation of your interests for the summer. I will follow up with you whether or not we need to meet before you fill out the application form.

Daniel Grin

 I aim to work with ~3 students drawn from my current research group, as I am on leave till Aug 2025 and must focus on ongoing research efforts. I will be taking new students in academic year 2025-2026. Cosmological probes of particle dark matter candidates (e.g. axions), evolving fundamental constants, novel interactions of standard model neutrinos, and inflationary physics. Work typically involves computer programming (which can be learned on the job) in python, and learning about the cosmic microwave background, galaxy surveys, and a little bit of particle physics. Please also feel free to contact Dan to learn more about research in his group. Work is theoretical/computational with an eye towards upcoming surveys, and understanding what they teach us about fundamental physics. You are invited to speak to me if you plan to write a KINSC application, so that we can develop it collaboratively Please dgrin [at] haverford.edu (email) to discuss your interests and the possible connections to my work.

Wynn Ho

 I aim to work with 2-4 students this summer. I can only host independently-funded students (e.g. via KINSC) but can sponsor students to apply for such funding. Neutron star astrophysics (and link to my research profile at https://www.haverford.edu/users/who Please who [at] haverford.edu (email) a brief explanation of your interests for the summer. I will follow up with you whether or not we need to meet before you fill out the application form.

Andrea Lommen

 I expect to have positions for 6 students to analyze and/or simulate NICER data and NANOGrav data. I am willing to consider any student with programming experience.

Astrophysics
Research profile

 Please alommen [at] haverford.edu (email) a brief explanation of your interests for the summer. I will follow up with you whether or not we need to meet before you fill out the application form.

Karen Masters

 I aim to work with 2-5 students this summer. I will be happy to sponsor any interested student (from first years to rising seniors) for KINSC or other funding. Those interested in KINSC applications should contact me before the start of the Spring semester to begin working on a proposal. I hope to have funding for 1-2 additional students. Priority will go to rising seniors or juniors working in my group, following which there will be some preference for students with prior astronomical coding (python) experience (e.g. ASTR104 or ASTR204) or who are self motivated to learn data science/coding and intend to be astro majors. My group studies extragalactic astrophysics. Projects are primarily observational and will involve data analysis of large extragalactic survey data and/or data reduction of radio astronomy observations of galaxies, with an eye to involvement in imminent publications. I am also excited to supervise science communication related student projects (if funding is available). Please see my Research Website for information on recent student projects. Please klmasters [at] haverford.edu (email) a brief explanation of your interests for the summer. I will follow up with you whether or not we need to meet before you fill out the application form.

Steve Ndengue

 I aim to work with 2-4 students this summer depending on the availability of funding (KINSC or other sources) and I will be happy to sponsor any interested student. Most of the work is computational and involves programming (Fortran, Python, ...) and simulations, but there is no programming experience required for this project. Expect to learn in the process. Physics/Astro and Chemistry (prospective) majors are welcome. Molecular quantum dynamics. The research projects are centered around the development of a computer code to solve the nuclear Schrodinger equation efficiently, with the intent to address atmospheric chemistry and astrochemistry questions primarily. The code, mainly written in Fortran, will leverage various theoretical modelling and modern programming techniques to make it user-friendly. The code will be tested along the way on several benchmark cases to assess its reliability and performances. A preliminary version is already under construction and the projects will build on previous developments. Please send an sndengue [at] haverford.edu (email) to discuss your interests and the possible connections to my work.

Vijay Singh

 I can sponsor 2-4 students this summer. (I have funding for two students and can sponsor students for KINSC, etc. funds.) My work involves computational modeling, as well as human psychophysics and machine learning. Familiarity with computer programming is useful, but not required. Students at all levels are welcome. I am looking for students with experience in graphics/game design. Human Color Perception: We aim to understand the effect of context in a scene on color perception. We conduct experiments where human observers make judgements on the color of objects, while the context under which the colors are observed is varied. By systematically changing the object color and the context, we measure how the scene context affects the perceived color of the object. The project will involve designing these experiments (similar to designing a computer game) and conducting the experiments on naive human observers. We will also use a modeling approach to make predictions on the experimental measurements and to predict the mechanisms of color perception. Please send an vsingh1 [at] haverford.edu (email) to discuss your interests.

Walter Smith

 I expect to take on 3 students this summer. There are projects in two areas: 1) self-assembling molecular circuits and 2) extraction of fresh water from desert air. The eventual goal for the first is to create circuits that would build themselves from liquid solution. Our research focuses on understanding the physics of electrical current flow in self-assembled nanowires and transistors. The goal for the second project is to use nanoscience to enhance methods for extracting water from dry air. We are at the earliest stages, and will test various nano-structured surfaces to identify the best candidates. Please wsmith [at] haverford.edu (email) me to arrange a time.

Off-campus Research Opportunities

Off Campus Research Opportunities

International Students

During the school year, International students can work full time on campus up to 20 hours per week after they have been on campus 30 days without violating the terms of their visas. They may also work on-campus or off-campus on research during the summer, but they must first get authorization to avoid conflicts with their visas.  Therefore,if you are an international student who will be doing research or working in the US in other capacities over the summer, you need to get in touch as early as possible with the Director of International Student Services (dallison [at] haverford.edu ()) to learn how to comply with U.S. Homeland Security regulations.  We recommend starting thje authorization  application process early in the spring semester (before Spring Break).

Haverford-funded research opportunities are all open to international students, as are most of our other on-campus summer positions. However, international students are not eligible for many programs funded by the federal government, including most REU (National Science Foundation undergraduate research) programs.  We've indicated and linked on our research site postings that emphasize international programs. If you learn of others, please send to the physicsastrochair [at] haverford.edu ().