Department of Physics: Homecoming reunion

Valter Zazubovits earned his Ph.D. in condensed matter physics from the University of Tartu, Estonia, in 1999. His research focused on impurity center spectroscopy in amorphous and incommensurate solids. He later joined Iowa State University, studying energy and charge transfer processes in photosynthetic complexes using high-resolution optical spectroscopy. In 2005, Dr. Zazubovits became a faculty member at Concordia University's Physics Department, where he is now a full Professor. His current research interests include photosynthesis, low-temperature protein dynamics, energy transfer in microtubules, and the development of novel biosensors and biomimetic sensors for detecting explosives.

Pablo Bianucci

Pablo Bianucci completed his undergraduate studies in Physics at the Universidad de Buenos Aires in 2001. He then earned his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin in 2007. Following postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Alberta, McGill University, and École Polytechnique de Montréal, he joined Concordia University's Department of Physics in 2012, where he is now an Associate Professor. His research focuses on condensed matter physics and optics, particularly optical confinement in microresonators. Recently, he has been exploring condensed matter physics models to understand photonic systems.

Ayse Turak

Ayse Turak is a materials scientist specializing in advanced electronic and electrochemical devices. With a solid engineering background, she excels in material characterization, opto-mechanical engineering, and numerical simulation. Ayse develops semiconductor technologies for superconducting micro-nano chips and leads multidisciplinary teams to create innovative solutions.

Bob Delaney

Bob Delaney, born in Montreal, Quebec, holds a B.Sc. in Physics from Concordia University and an M.A. in Business Administration from Simon Fraser University. He is accredited by the Canadian Public Relations Society. Delaney served as a Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament for 15 years, holding roles such as Parliamentary Assistant to various ministers, including Seniors, Research and Innovation, Tourism, Revenue, Education, and Energy. He chaired the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs (2011-2013) and was named Chief Government Whip on March 25, 2014.

Béla Joós

Béla Joós, B.Sc. (Loyola of Montreal), 1974, Ph. D. (McGill University), 1979, is a Full Professor and Director, Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Physics He does theoretical research on soft materials: (i) the viscosity, shear resistance, and aging of highly entropic inhomogeneous materials near the gel point, or glass transition, and (ii) effect of stress and peptides on the rupture kinetics and permeability of lipid bi-layer membranes. 

Mike O'Niell

Mike O’Neill, originally from Montreal, earned his undergraduate and Master's degrees in particle physics from Concordia University. He joined Ontario Hydro in 1980, working in Reactor Safety and advancing to various leadership roles, including Manager of Reactor Safety Engineering and Manager of Nuclear Safety and Technology. After retiring in 2011, Mike continues to work on nuclear power projects part-time. He is the past Chair of the CSA N290B Technical Committee and past Director of Professional Affairs at the Canadian Association of Physicists. Mike enjoys music, woodworking, and travel.