Barry Zink:

Associate Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy

Barry Zink, who came to DU in 2006, studies experimental condensed matter physics or, as he said, “I come up with new ways to measure how stuff acts.” His work has caught the eye of the National Science Foundation, which honored him with a CAREER award, a $550,000 grant that will further the research he and his students do involving nanomaterials and measurements of heat transfer properties. The award is the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious recognition in support of early career development activities.

As one of many new researchers in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Zink is focused on collaborating across disciplines, both inside and outside the University. He is currently working with Colorado State University on new materials called thermoelectrics. He also is working with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder and with the Los Alamos National Lab measuring heat generated by gamma rays emitted from plutonium. Some day, Zink said, this work could “help sort out the countries that are playing by nonproliferation rules and those that aren’t.”