Information About Former Students

1.  Hamad Al-Brithen, Ph.D. 2004:  Assistant Professor, Physics & Astronomy Department, Department, King Saud University, 2005 – present.  Hamad Al-Brithen obtained his Ph.D. in fall 2004 with the thesis "Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Investigation of Rock-salt and Zinc-blende Nitrides Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy" and went directly into a tenure track assistant professor position at King Saud University, Saudia Arabia, in the Physics & Astronomy Department there.  Hamad is active in the nanoscience efforts at King Saud and is working to build up research efforts there.  Hamad has returned to Athens in three consecutive summers beginning in 2006, to continue some research activities here and to attend the international nanoscience conference hosted by the NQPI group in Athens in July 2008.  During 2008, Hamad also took up a mini sabbatical post at MIT.

2.  Costel Constantin, Ph.D. 2005:  Assistant Professor, Physics Department, Seton Hall University, 2007 – present.  Costel obtained his Ph.D. in fall 2005 with the thesis "Growth, Structure, Electronic and Optical Characterization of Nitride Semiconductors Grown by rf-Plasma Molecular Beam Epitaxy."  He took a postdoctoral position with Professor Randy Feenstra at Carnegie Mellon University at the end of 2005, where he stayed for one year.  After that, Costel began a tenure track assistant professor position at Seton Hall University, New Jersey, beginning in Fall 2007.  Costel continues to be interested in research and is setting up his own lab at Seton Hall.  Besides this, he is also continuing some collaborations with me on selected topics.

3.  Muhammad B. Haider, Ph.D. 2005, Postdoctoral Fellow, National Institute of Nanotechnology/Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, 2006 – present. Muhammad received his Ph.D. in fall 2005 with the thesis " Surface and Bulk Properties of Magnetically Doped GaN and Their Dependence on the Growth Conditions."  Following graduation, Muhammad took a postdoctoral position at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, working in the group of Professor Robert Wolkow, internationally recognized expert in scanning tunneling microscopy and Chair in Nanoscale Information and Communication Technologies.

4.  Rong Yang, Ph.D. 2006:  Associate Professor, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, China, 2008 – present.  Rong Yang graduated with her Ph.D. in summer 2006 with the thesis "Atomic-scale and Spin Structure Investigations of Manganese Nitride and Related Magnetic Hybrid Structures Prepared by Molecular Beam Epitaxy" and went right away to work as a Postdoctoral Associate in the group of Professor Chris Palmstrom, at the University of Minnesota, within the Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Department.  One year later, Rong and her family moved to Beijing, China.  In early 2008, Rong was appointed to a faculty position within the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology in Beijing, where she is currently employed.