The Graduate Engine

New Faces, Major Milestones, and Global Footprints

From local sub-basements to international mega-labs, our graduate students have had an extraordinarily busy and impactful year. A massive influx of new talent, critical academic milestones, and a heavy presence at global conferences show that the heartbeat of K-State Physics is stronger than ever.

Welcoming a Blockbuster Incoming Class

2025 new graduate student orientaiton

The department experienced a major growth spurt, welcoming an exceptionally large cohort of brilliant minds in the Fall of 2025. Because this incoming class was so sizeable, it will naturally result in a much tighter, smaller admissions cycle for the upcoming Fall 2026 semester.

Our newest graduate students bring a rich mix of domestic and international perspectives, joining us from institutions across the United States and the globe:

• Matthew Allphin (Brigham Young University)
• Stephen Bardowell (Tarleton State University)
• Jaelyn Friberg (Northwest Nazarene University)
• Michael Gammon (Central Connecticut State University)
• Pavan Gudiwada (Defende Institute of Advanced Technology & Gandhi Institute of Technology & Management, India)
• Mohammad Kamrul Hasan (University of Chittagong, Bangladesh)
• Wyatt Jones (Kansas State University)
• Rachel Meeker (Kansas State University)
• Fernanda Mejia Buenfil (Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, Mexico)
• Davit Modebadze (Free University of Tbilisi, Georgia)
• Josh Morales (Westminster College)
• Tomas Seisdedos (Northwest Missouri State University)

Crossing the Preliminary Threshold

Passing the doctoral preliminary exam is one of the most grueling milestones of a Ph.D. career. It marks the transition from standard coursework to full-time, independent dissertation research.

A big congratulations to the students who successfully cleared this major hurdle this past

Nick Magnelli, Cosmology GRA

Cosmology

• Nick Magnelli

Physics Education Research (PER)

• Parker Poulos

Soft, Condensed & Biological Matter Physics

• Shabnaz Afrin

Atomic, Molecular & Optical (AMO) Physics

• Tristan Fehl
• Tu Nguyen
• Muhammad Sakhi
• John Searles
• Shalauddin
• Joshua Stallbaumer

Athar Ahmad & Naila Islam at CERN

K-State on the Global Stage

Our students didn't just stay in Manhattan; they took their expertise directly to the world's premier national laboratories and mega-science experiments.

• At SLAC: Josh Morales, Keyu Chen, Zane Phelps, and Tu Nguyen traveled to California to conduct high-intensity X-ray experiments at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
• At CERN: Crossing the Atlantic, Gujju Reddy, Athar Ahmad, and Naila Islam spent time working on-site at the famous Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland.
• At Fermilab: Nabila Majeed and Adil Hussain contributed directly to cutting-edge particle physics research at Illinois' premier accelerator lab.

Showcasing Breakthrough Research

From international satellite meetings to major national conferences, K-State graduate students were heavily featured on the speaker circuits.

International and National Highlights

• Zane Phelps traveled to Nagoya, Japan, to present co-authored work probing photochemistry in methylated cyclopentadiene using advanced XUV spectroscopy at an elite satellite symposium of ICPEAC.
• Parker Poulos hit double milestones on the national circuit, presenting innovative teaching strategies at the Physics Education Research Conference in Washington, D.C., and showcasing new frameworks for research-based academic feedback at the heavy-hitting APS Global Physics Summit in Denver.
• On Home Turf: Back on campus, Terry Salava, Shabnaz Afrin, Naoki Iwamoto, and Shalauddin successfully bridged interdisciplinary gaps by presenting their physics research at the Spring Chemistry Symposium.

Attending DAMOP 2026

The department was well-represented in Providence, Rhode Island, at the 2026 Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics (DAMOP) meeting. Our student presenters shared significant findings from several of the department's key collaborative research projects:

• Arián Dovald presented high-level collaborative work tracking the XUV ionization of $N_2$.
• Naoki Iwamoto took the stage to share findings on the strong-field photofragmentation of methanol and the subsequent formation of $H_3^+$.
• Tu Nguyen presented highly complex imaging regarding correlated nuclear motion as it passes through a conical intersection.
• Shalauddin detailed time-resolved imaging of iodomethane dissociation using ultra-fast femtosecond pulses.

Whether adjusting optics in our own hallways or presenting to international audiences, our graduate students continue to serve as the vital engine driving the department's scientific legacy forward.