Richard Sandberg - Professor, BYU Physics and Astronomy

Research: Development of novel optical and X-ray diagnostics to study materials in extreme conditions and materials at the nanoscale using ultrafast lasers, large scale (synchrotron, XFEL) and tabletop X-ray sources.  Application of X-ray lensless or Coherent Diffraction Imaging (CDI) to the study of materials under extreme conditions and magnetic ordering at the nanoscale.

Professional Appointments

• June 2023 - Present: Associate Chair, Department of Physic and Astronomy, Brigham Young University
• August 2019 - Present: Associate Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University
• April 2011 - July 2019: Staff Member, Laboratory for Ultrafast Materials and Optical Science (LUMOS), Center for Integrated Nanotechnology (MPA-CINT) at Los Alamos National Laboratory
• June 2009 - April 2011: Director’s Postdoctoral Fellow in the Center for Advanced Solar Photophysics (CASP), C-PCS Group at Los Alamos National Laboratory with Han Htoon and Victor Klimov      

Education

PhD, M.S. in Physics, Certificate of Optics—University of Colorado at Boulder and JILA

• Graduation: May 2009
• Thesis: “Closing the Gap to the Diffraction Limit: Near Wavelength Limited Tabletop Soft X-Ray Coherent Diffractive Imaging”
• Also completed NSF IGERT Optical Science and Engineering Fellowship Program and industrial internship with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Inc. Fall 2006
• Advisors: Margaret M. Murnane and Henry C. Kapteyn

B.S. in Physics, minors in Mathematics and Business—Brigham Young University

• Graduation: August 2004 Graduated with Honors (Top 1% of University)
• Honors Thesis: “Optical applications of Uranium Thin-film Compounds for the Extreme Ultraviolet and Soft X-ray Region”
• Advisors: David D. Allred and R. Steven Turley

 Professional Activities

• October 2018 – Co-chair for Workshop “Gap Analysis: Materials Discovery through Data Science at Advanced User Light Sources," October 3-5, 2018 in Santa Fe, NM.
• Oct. 2016 – Oct. 2019 - SLAC – Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) User Executive Committee Chair (2016-17), Vice Chair (2015-16) and Past Chair (2017-18)
• October 2016 and October 2017– Scientific Program and Organizing Committee for Annual LCLS/SSRL User Workshop
• Co-organizer of symposium at the TMS Annual meeting entitled: “Characterization of Materials through High Resolution Coherent Imaging” (2013,2015,2017) – to be held bi-annually.
• Co-organizer of MaRIE Workshop on “Opportunities for New X-ray Sources to Shed Light on Mesoscale Functional Materials” Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 2016.
• 2015-2016 - Optical Society of America CLEO Conference Program Committee on Optical Interactions with Condensed Matter and Ultrafast Phenomena
• December 2014 – Present – SLAC LCLS-II Magnetism & Spin Working Group and LCLS-II Science Opportunities Document Team
• 2014 – Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies Co-Director and Group Leader Search Committee
• 2013-2015 - TMS Advanced Characterization, Testing, and Simulation Committee Member
• 2013-2014 - Optical Society of America CLEO Conference Applications and Technology 3 Committee
• Guest Editor of Special Section for the Journal of the Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society (JOM) on “Coherent X-ray Diffraction Imaging as a Characterization Tool” September 2013
• 2012-2016 – Los Alamos Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Review Committee for Exploratory Research Programs: FY2013 – Emergent Phenomenon of Materials (EPM), FY2014 – FY2016 – Quantum and Optical Sciences (QOS), Committee Chair FY2016 – Atomic, Molecular, Quantum, and Optical Sciences (AMQOS) Committee
• Reviewer for Department of Energy – Basic Energy Sciences, Science Advances, Nature Physics, Nature Photonics, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Physical Review Letters, Physical Review B and X, New Journal of Physics, Optics Letters, Optics Express, and Journal of the Optical Society of America B