Science Starts Here: Chris Ramsey
Chris Ramsey.
Name
Chris Ramsey.
Current position
Postdoctoral research associate, Department of Physics, University of Central Florida.
Time at the Mag Lab
2000 to 2004.
Role
Graduate student under Naresh Dalal.
Current work
"I study molecular magnets, primarily single-molecule magnets, which are about a billion times smaller than a basketball. My goal is to understand how quantum mechanics affects the magnetic properties of these molecules.
"My most recent work was performed with two long-time Mag Lab users: Enrique del Barco, my postdoc advisor at the University of Central Florida, and David Hendrickson (UC San Diego); and Mag Lab faculty member Steve Hill. In our paper titled 'Quantum interference of tunnel trajectories between states of different spin length in a dimeric molecular nanomagnet,' we studied a wheel-shaped molecule that behaves like two interacting single molecule magnets. We showed that the two halves of the molecule can simultaneously reverse their poles under special conditions. In the future we hope to exploit this phenomenon to perform computer operations on a single molecule.
I study molecular magnets, primarily single-molecule magnets, which are about a billion times smaller than
a basketball.
"Enrique and I were very happy to form a University of Central Florida/University of Florida connection through this work. It seems like the Mag Lab has made Florida the place to be for research in magnetism."
In his own words
“The Mag Lab is such a collaborative environment that you cannot spend time there without recognizing the value of working with other scientists. Collaboration can often turn a good publication into a major breakthrough."
How mentors make a difference
“There are two Mag Lab scientists who have really inspired me. The first is my Ph.D. adviser, Naresh Dalal, who taught me how to be a competitive scientist. Even while busy as the chairman of the chemistry department, Naresh always had time to discuss science, football, or life. I hope to have the same approach to managing people in the future.
"My second inspiration is Steve Hill, whose career I have followed from nearly the beginning. Steve is a model for the amount of dedication and ingenuity it requires to make a name for yourself as a young scientist.”
Published in Volume 15, Issue 3 of Mag Lab Reports (Download this issue in
PDF format, 9 MB).
