Principal Investigator
Prof. Christopher P.J. Barty
Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Surgery and the Beckman Laser Institute
Lead Faculty, UCI Convergence Optical Sciences Initiative (COSI)
Curriculum Vitae
Chris Barty joined the faculty of UCI in the summer of 2017 as the lead hire of UCI’s Convergence Optical Sciences Initiative (COSI). At UCI he is currently a Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy, a member of the Beckman Laser Institute & Medical Clinic, an associate member of Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, a professor by courtesy in the Department of Surgery within the School of Medicine, and a faculty member of the Chemical and Materials Physics (ChaMP) program. Externally he is chairman of the International Committee on Ultrahigh Intensity Lasers and a co-founder of Lumitron Technologies, Inc. which is based in Irvine. Prior to his arrival at UCI, he served as the chief technology officer for the National Ignition Facility and Photon Science Directorate at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Professor Barty received his Ph.D. and M.S. in applied physics from Stanford University and B.S. degrees, each with honors, in chemistry, physics and chemical engineering from North Carolina State University. For his accomplishments in laser science and related applications, he has been elected a fellow of the Optical Society of America (OSA), the Society for Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), the American Physical Society (APS), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He was the 2013 IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society Distinguished Lecturer, the 2016 recipient of the SPIE Harold E. Edgerton Award for his work on ultrafast lasers and laser-based x-ray and gamma-ray science and the 2018 recipient of the OSA R. W. Wood Prize for his foundational innovations that have enabled ultrafast and energetic intense lasers around the world. He has published and spoken widely on topics spanning lasers, optics, materials science, nuclear science, medicine, chemistry, engineering and physics. Professor Barty’s present research aims to enable new, laser-based, x-ray modalities for the precision detection and treatment of disease, novel x-ray studies of ultrafast material dynamics and the emergence of nuclear photonics as a new scientific discipline.
Graduate Students
Michael Seggebruch
Physics and Astronomy PhD Student
mseggebr@uci.edu
FRH 4155A
Michael completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Florida, where he earned a B.S. in Physics and a B.A. in Mathematics in 2017. Knowing that he’d be missing the excitement of hurricane season for the foreseeable future, he nevertheless decided to head West to UCI for a PhD in physics that same year. In the Spring of 2018, Michael became the first grad student to join the Barty group at UCI. Currently, Michael is developing new innovations for near-infared electro-optic frequency combs. When he’s not busy, Michael enjoys watching good movies, claiming glory on the physics department’s intramural sports team(s), reading, and playing board games with his friends. He also enjoys a good wilderness expedition, when he can free up a few days for it.
Kyle Chesnut
Physics and Astronomy PhD Student
kyle.chesnut@uci.edu
Originally from bucolic San Luis Obispo, Kyle ventured north to UC Berkeley where he earned a B.S. in Engineering Physics in 2012. After a few years as a Water Engineer in the agriculture industry he returned to school to complete a M.S. in Applied Physics at the University of Oregon in 2017. Here, he discovered his passion for laser science, which combines two of his favorite things–physics and shooting things. This led him to Lawrence Livermore National Lab where he spent nearly two years working on high-average-power, high-intensity lasers in the Advance Photon Science branch of the NIF & Photon Science directorate. Hearing of Prof. Barty’s new research group at UC Irvine he began his Ph.D. studies in Fall 2018 to research laser-Compton X-ray systems and high-field science. In his spare time Kyle enjoys surfing, mountain biking, and perfecting his tri-tip BBQ.
Eric Nelson
Physics and Astronomy PhD Student
ecnelson@uci.edu
FRH 4155A
Eric grew up in Redford, Michigan, birthplace of Ted Nugent. He studied nearby at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, graduating top of his class in 2017 with a B.S. in Physics and a minor in Mathematics (although the other physics graduate was a top contender). He decided to move across the country to California and start graduate school the same year. He came into grad school not quite sure what research path he wanted to follow but found his home in the Barty group at the beginning of Summer 2019. He is curious about chirping beams in peculiar ways and the applications that arise. When Eric is not hard at work, he enjoys rock climbing, collecting video games, and a good backpacking trip into the wilderness.
Haytham Effarah
MD/PhD Student
effarahh@uci.edu
Haytham was born and raised in Southern California and most of his childhood was spent in beautiful Simi Valley. Simi comes from the Chumash word Shimiyi which is oft misquoted as meaning “windy.” Shimiyi more directly translates to “thin, wispy clouds,” which most often form during the region’s seasonal Santa Ana winds. Haytham went to UC Davis for his undergraduate studies, originally pursuing a degree in Biology with the intent of eventually applying to medical school. Things got more complicated when he took his first ever physics class. He fell in love with the field, and by his junior year he officially changed his major to Physics. Haytham was still very much interested in a career in medicine, but he was torn between wanting to see patients and wanting to pursue research. After learning about the NIH’s Medical Scientist Training Program, Haytham applied and was fortunate enough to find himself back in beautiful SoCal to learn about physics, medicine, and his place within those disciplines. Haytham has finished the didactic portion of his medical school education, and is currently working on his PhD in Physics. He is excited to be working on Laser-Compton light sources and their potential applications in both medical imaging and targeted cancer therapy. Outside of research he’s a dungeon master, a sailor, a snowboarder, and a video game enthusiast.
Trevor Reutershan
MD/PhD Student
treuters@uci.edu
Trevor comes from a small beach town north of Irvine. For his undergraduate studies, he attended the local university, California State University – Long Beach, where he received bachelor degrees in biochemistry, physics and chemistry along with minors in biology and applied mathematics. Because that wasn’t enough science already, Trevor then went on to complete simultaneous master degrees in mathematics and chemistry from the same institution. Throughout his time at Long Beach, he engaged in many research topics ranging from quantum chemistry to baseball statistics. However, he has held particular interest in applying physics to medicine and is excited for the technologies that the Barty Group has planned to advance health care. When Trevor is finally done with his medical didactics, he plans to return to his interests including obscure movie quotes, surfing, baseball, guitar, piano, finance and various trades.
Leslie Heid
Chemical, Applied, and Materials Physics (Champ) PhD Student
lheid@uci.edu
Leslie, who grew up in Pennsylvania, moved to California to pursue higher education and recently achieved a BA in Applied Mathematics with a focus on Physics from CSU Fullerton in 2020. Having now entered her PhD graduate phase, Leslie is looking forward to working on a wide range of lab projects; already she has developed an equation for determining psuedotime in DNA methylation and is now hoping to play with really cool lasers that go pew pew pew. She is currently employed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, modeling mission communications needs for the Deep Space Network, and in summer 2021 will be joining the Bose-Einstein Condensate Cold Atom Laboratory (BECCAL) at JPL to help design experiments to be simultaneously performed on the International Space Station’s sister BECCAL. Leslie keeps herself very busy most of the time, but has in the past made a career of playing contract bridge and enjoys listening to audiobooks about history and high-fantasy.
Post Graduate Researchers
Kyle Charbonnet
B.S. Physics, 2019, UCLA
kcharbon@uci.edu
Kyle graduated in 2019 with a bachelors in physics, but began working in the software industry until now. He’s now preparing to apply for a PhD in physics and couldn’t be more excited. He just recently joined Barty’s group at the beginning of spring quarter and loves it so far.
Undergraduate Students
Christine Nguyen
Applied Physics
chrivn12@uci.edu
Christine was born and raised in Orange County. After taking and loving AP Physics in her junior year of high school, she decided to pursue a career in Physics. Currently, she is studying Applied Physics at UCI, attempting to get a Biomedical Physics Concentration. She hopes to learn more about the field through her first undergraduate research experience with the Barty group. Outside of academics, Christine enjoys spending time with her loved ones, playing the saxophone, video games, and anime/manga.
Mackenzie “Teddy” Drobny
Physics
mdrobny@uci.edu
Mackenzie, or “Teddy” as she is known to friends, is from Santa Clarita, California. Growing up in a family full of engineers, Mackenzie developed a love for figuring out how things worked. Now an Undergraduate Physics Major at the University of California, Irvine, she hopes to learn more about the world through her first research experience with the Barty Group. How can you pass up the opportunity to work with lasers and live the movie “Real Genius” in real life? In her free time, Mackenzie enjoys swing dance, crochet, D&D, Disney, and playfully bickering with her sister.
Jennifer Mettler
Applied Physics and Biochemistry / Molecular Biology Double Major
mettlerj@uci.edu
Jen grew up in Chanhassen, MN – a small twin cities suburb known for Prince and the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre. The warm weather, great academic opportunities, and nearby thrilling mountain biking terrain led her to UCI, where she studies applied physics and biochemistry/molecular biology. She is excited to use her passion for both fields to ultimately help people. Outside of studies she’s a US Figure Skating double gold medalist, avid rider of many types of bikes, officer of the UCI cycling team, and loves trying new coffee shops.
Former Members (click to expand)
Agnese Lagzda
Former Postdoc
Current Position (as of 2024): Research and Development Scientist, Lumitron Technologies, Inc.
Lisset Ayala
Former Undergraduate Researcher
B.S. Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering Concentration, 2020
Current Position (as of 2024): Graduate Student, James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona
Adan Garcia
Former Undergraduate Researcher
B.S. Physics, Computational Physics Concentration, 2020
Current Position (as of 2024): R&D Physicist, Lumitron Technologies, Inc.
Pengrui “Ricky” Liu
Former Undergraduate Researcher
B.S. Applied Physics, 2023
Current Position (as of 2024): Electrical Engineering Graduate Student, UCSD
Daniel Vega
Former Undergraduate Researcher
B.S. Applied Physics, 2023
Current Position (as of 2024): Graduate Student, University College London Department of Physics and Astronomy
Allen Zhang
Former Undergraduate Researcher
B.S. Physics, 2023
Current Position (as of 2024): Scientific Intern, Lumitron Technologies
Brandan Buschmann
Former Undergraduate Researcher
B.S. Applied Physics, 2023
Current Position (as of 2024): Graduate Student, MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC)