Brad Plaster, Professor of Physics, and Department Chair University of Kentucky Department of Physics and Astronomy Lexington, KY 40506-0055 Email: brad.plaster [at] uky [dot] edu Office Tel: 859.257.3960 CV: [pdf]

L-R: UK Provost, BP, UK President, (Past) Physics Chair April 19, 2018

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Awards and Honors

• University of Kentucky, Provost's Outstanding Teaching Award, 2018 (university-wide, of 2400 UK faculty)
• University of Kentucky, College of Arts and Sciences' Award for Innovative Teaching, 2016
• University of Kentucky, College of Arts and Sciences' Award for Outstanding Teaching, 2012
• U.S. Department of Energy, Outstanding Junior Investigator in Nuclear Physics, 2008-2013

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Research in Fundamental Symmetries with Neutrons

My research program in fundamental neutron physics concerns searches for new physics beyond the Standard Model via high-precision tests of the fundamental symmetries of Parity and Time-Reversal in experiments with cold and ultracold neutrons. I am currently serving as the Level-1 Deputy Project Manager for the world-leading-projected-sensitivity search for the Parity-violating and Time-Reversal-Symmetry-violating neutron electric dipole moment (EDM) at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.  I am also involved in a neutron EDM search at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The discovery of a neutron EDM would provide unambiguous evidence for new beyond-Standard-Model physics (or new physics in the strong sector), and would provide insight into the mechanism responsible for the evolution of the universe to its current matter-over-antimatter-dominated state. 

I was also involved for 15+ years in a precision measurement of Parity violation in neutron beta-decay with ultracold neutrons at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Ultracold Neutron Source.

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Research Group

Current:

Postdoctoral Scholar: Alec Tewsley-Booth

Ph.D. Students: Mojtaba Behzadipour, Jared Brewington, Dillon Buskirk, Abel Manuel Lorente Campos, Umit Coskun, Rashika Gupta, Piya Amara Palamure

Alumni:

Postdoctoral Scholar: Haiyang Yan (Staff Scientist, China Academy of Engineering Physics)

Ph.D. Students (Year of Graduation, First Position): Alina Aleksandrova (Ph.D. 2019, post-doc at California Institute of Technology), Michael Brown (Ph.D. 2018, Data Scientist at Humana), Ryan Dadisman (Ph.D. 2018, post-doc at Oak Ridge National Laboratory), Lakshya Malhotra (Ph.D. 2021, post-doc at University of Wisconsin), Subash Nepal (Ph.D. 2020), Nima Nouri (Ph.D. 2016, post-doc at Yale University), Danielle Schaper (Ph.D. 2021, post-doc at Los Alamos National Laboratory)

M.S. Students: Joseph Bates (M.S. 2020), Grant Forbes (M.S. 2019), Susan Malkowski (M.S. 2011), Syed Hasan (M.S. 2011)

I am always looking to recruit motivated Ph.D. students.  Please contact me if interested.

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Teaching

I have taught the following courses at the University of Kentucky:

• PHY 151: Introduction to Physics, Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012
• PHY 211: General Physics I: Mechanics, Fall 2010
• PHY 211 TEAL: General Physics I: Mechanics, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2018, Fall 2019
• PHY 213: General Physics II: Electromagnetism, Spring 2010
• PHY 213 TEAL: General Physics II: Electromagnetism, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020
• PHY 231: University Physics I: Mechanics, Spring 2013
• PHY 232: University Physics II: Electromagnetism, Spring 2014
• PHY 535: Advanced Physics Laboratory, Spring 2009
• PHY 611: Electromagnetic Theory I ("Jackson E&M"), Fall 2011, Fall 2012

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Funding

I am grateful to the funding agencies and the peer reviewers for funding under the:

• U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics, Fundamental Symmetries Program
• National Science Foundation, Experimental Nuclear Physics Program
• National Science Foundation, Major Research Instrumentation Program

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Last Updated: August 25, 2022