Faculty Research

Brian Donovan
Professor, Physics Department

Brian is an Professor in the Physics Department specializing in characterization of nanoscale thermal and electrical transport. Focusing in materials characterization, Prof Donovan's research is inherently collaborative and has centered on the interaction of atomic-scale heat carriers and defects in materials, with an emphasis on dielectrics and complex oxides. The cornerstone measurement technique that he uses is an ultra-fast pulsed laser pump-probe measurement to measure thermal lifetimes with sub-picosecond resolution. Prof. Donovan did his Ph.D. at the University of Virginia, M.S. at Stanford University, and his B.S. at Cornell University, along the way, he also worked in the microelectronics industry for three years making microchips for IBM. Here at USNA, Prof. Donovan has established the Nanoscale Electrical and Thermal Transport (NEaTT) Lab is working in collaboration with a variety of other professors as well as the Naval and Army Research Labs. He is very active in Midshipmen research and has incorporated both Bowman and Trident Scholars into his projects.