Cornell University School of Applied and Engineering Physics

Light typically interacts with a material the same way whether it enters through the front or the back. AEP Ph.D. student, Thomas Ugras, is one of the Cornell researchers who have demonstrated a simple route to breaking that symmetry, with possibilities for photonics and quantum information processing.

Researchers break light symmetry with simple materials | Cornell Chronicle Light typically interacts with a material the same way whether it enters through the front or the back. Cornell researchers have demonstrated a simple route to breaking that symmetry, with possibilities for photonics and quantum information processing.

Congratulations to Valla Fatemi and Jeff Moses for winning SPROUT awards! These Cornell Duffield Engineering awards support teams of investigators with demonstrated collaborative success, typically those working on projects that have received positive reviews from outside agencies but not yet been awarded funding.

Valla Fatemi,assistant professor in the School of Applied and Engineering Physics, and Hari Nair, assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering co-led the project, "MOCVD Synthesis of Nitrides for Quantum Information Science"

Jeffrey Moses, associate professor in the School of Applied and Engineering Physics, and Robert DiStasio, Jr., associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences are co-leading a the project, "Harnessing the Atmosphere as an Adaptive Optical Medium: Towards Sensitive and Specific Remote Detection of Greenhouse Gases and Trace Contaminants"

Congratulations to one of our newest faculty members, Professor Kenji Yasuda, or receiving two important awards this year.
https://vist.ly/58rr7

Craig Fennie was an integral part of Applied and Engineering Physics, and we are heartbroken to report this news.

We are sorry to share the news that Craig Fennie, an associate professor in the School of Applied and Engineering Physics whose groundbreaking research opened new pathways for scientists to discover and design materials, died of a heart attack on June 14, 2026. He was 54.

“Craig’s path was unique. In many ways, he modeled our ‘any person…’ founding creed at Cornell,” said Lynden Archer, the Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering. “He was not just known for his creative mind, but for his kindness and humanity – a brilliant, yet grounded member of our campus community. We will miss him tremendously.”

https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/06/craig-fennie-macarthur-fellow-and-materials-discovery-pioneer-dies-54

Congratulations to Himani Mishra ’27, a rising senior in engineering physics and Hunter R. Rawlings III Cornell Presidential Research Scholar and Telluride Scholar, who has been named a 2026 Microscopy & Microanalysis Student Scholar by the Microanalysis Society. Mishra is a student of Professor David A. Muller.

Himani Mishra '27 earns national student scholar award | Cornell Duffield Engineering Mishra earned the award for her paper "Atomic-level, Depth-Resolved 3D Imaging of Voids with Electron Ptychography.”

We are pleased to announce that Chris Xu, the IBM Professor of Engineering, has been reappointed to a two-year term as Director of the School of Applied and Engineering Physics, effective July 1, 2026.

“Chris was first appointed to this position in 2020. He has provided the School with steady, strategic leadership and he has been a valuable contributor to the broader College community, serving as an effective and capable partner with a compelling vision for the future. He is also an excellent scientist and educator. Known for the development of temporal focusing and long-wavelength two- and three-photon microscopy for deep-tissue imaging, his work has found applications in fiber optics and optical imaging, with major thrusts in deep-tissue imaging, laser development, and smart and efficient optical imaging. He holds more than 25 patents on optical communications and imaging, and his work has been recognized with numerous awards. He is a fellow of both Optica (formerly the Optical Society of America) and the National Academy of Inventors.”

-- Lynden Archer, Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering

Chris Xu | Cornell Duffield Engineering Graduate Field Affiliations Applied Physics Biomedical Engineering Biomedical and Biological Sciences Biophysics Biography Chris Xu’s group at Cornell pioneered the development of temporal focusing and long-wavelength two- and three-photon microscopy for deep-tissue imaging. His current research a...

Congratulations to Ph.D. student Shake Karapetyan for winning the Materials Research Society's Gold Graduate Student Award!

Cornell students win Gold Graduate Student Awards | Cornell Duffield Engineering For their research on atomic-scale 3D imaging and perovskite materials, respectively, two graduate students from the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering have been awarded Gold Graduate Student Awards by the Materials Research Society. These awards recognize exceptional graduate students whose ac...

Congratulations to all graduates! (Can you spot AEP?)
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DYvP9nhvq-l/

Let’s hear it one more time for #Cornell2026! 🎓🐻🎉

Sofia Pereira, a 2023 Cornell physics graduate, found her ideal path to a career by pursuing an M.Eng. in engineering physics.

Sofia Pereira, M.Eng. ’26 merges hands-on engineering with fundamental physics | Cornell Duffield Engineering Sofia Pereira, a 2023 Cornell physics graduate, found her ideal path to a career through pursuing an M.Eng. in engineering physics.