Faculty & Staff
The Department of Physics and Astronomy is staffed by seven permanent faculty (one shared with Earth and Climate Sciences); visiting faculty as needed; two Assistants in Instruction; a machinist; and grant-funded postdoctoral research associates. All faculty have active scholarly research programs with opportunities for Bates students, and all teach a wide variety of physics and astronomy courses.
+Staff
- Peter Beach – Machinist
- Cole Hastings – Instructional Specialist, Director of the Ladd Planetarium
- Juan Varela – Instructional Specialist
- Jean-Baptiste Gerent – Postdoctoral Research Associate
- Abel Beregi – Postdoctoral Research Associate
+Staff History
- Mark Nordberg (Assistant in Instruction 2005-2023)
- Gabe Ycas (Assistant in Instruction 2005-2008)
- Stephanie Haskins (Assistant in Instruction 1998-2005)
+Faculty History
- Names are sorted by decade and year in which each faculty member retired or left the department. Bold indicates faculty who were long-term members of the department.
- 2020-2029 departure/retirement
- Erin de Pree (visiting 2022-2025)
- Bahar Modir (visiting 2024-2025)
- Jeff Oishi (2016-2024) (now at U. New Hampshire)
- John Smedley (1987-2024)
- Tom McElmurry (visiting 2023-2024)
- Hong Lin (1991-2023)
- Travis Gould (2013-2022)
- Raj Saha ’03 (visiting 2015-2021; now at the Roux Institute)
- Catherine Whiting (visiting 2018-2020; now at Colorado Mesa University)
- 2010-2019 departure/retirement
- Blake Sturtevant (visiting 2016-2017; now at LANL)
- Gene Clough (1978-2016)
- Eric Wollman (1979-2016)
- Mark Semon (1976-2016)
- Jim Porter (visiting 2015-2016)
- Michael Durst (visiting 2011-2014; now at Middlebury College)
- Lily Childress (2008-2011; now at McGill University)
- 2000-2009 departure/retirement
- George Ruff (1968-2008)
- Jack Pribram (1970-2007)
- Tom Giblin (visiting 2008-2009; now at Kenyon College)
- Steve Gensemer ’92 (visiting 2002-2004; now at CSIRO)
- 1990-1999 departure/retirement
- Emory (Ted) Bunn (visiting 1996-1999; now at Richmond University)
- Historical
- Robert Kingsbury
- Ronald Reese
- Karl Woodcock
- George Gibbs
- Carroll Bailey