Science Starts Here: Cedomir Petrovic

Name

Cedomir Petrovic.

Current position

Physicist, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Physics, Johns Hopkins University.

Time at the Mag Lab

May 1997 to October 2000.

Role

Graduate research assistant (Tallahassee).

Current work

Cedomir does research in experimental condensed matter materials physics. His main focus is exploratory synthesis and characterization of novel materials, dealing mostly with crystal growth in the area of correlated electron physics.

In his own words

“(The lab's) collaborative atmosphere, excellent facilities, great teachers and colleagues helped me a lot at the start of my career. During my period of study, I learned that it is necessary to be independent and to create your own path … that one should not be afraid of wide open materials spaces, and to scan literature for data and not for interpretations. The Magnet Lab emphasized early participation of students in research.”

How mentors make a difference

“(My mentor) Zachary Fisk had a hands-off approach, where the idea was not to give a student some knowledge on the plate, but rather to jumpstart the thinking process by giving hints and tasks seemingly unrelated to ongoing work.”

Posted December 2007.