Dr. Kelly Nash is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Texas at San Antonio.  Dr. Nash received her B.S. in Physics from Dillard University, New Orleans, LA and her M.S. in Applied Physics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.  She attended the University of Texas San Antonio where she received her Ph.D. in Physics in 2009.  During her graduate studies she broadened her physics knowledge to include a more interdisciplinary approach, which included expanding her studies to include chemistry and biology. 

As a newly appointed Assistant Professor her research interest encompasses polymer nanocomposites and dynamical processes in excited states of rare earth materials.  In UTSA’s CATALYST The Magazine of The College Sciences Spring 2010, Dr. Nash was quoted in the Ladies First: Three alumnae lead the way for minority women in science article saying, “I always wanted to teach and to do research, and I feel like this is a good place and an exciting time to be at UTSA” (http://www.utsa.edu/catalyst/vol2/).  As a female physicist she “encourages young women to think of themselves as leaders, pioneers taking a nontraditional road”.  She says, “You should enjoy the fact that what you’re doing is a challenge.  You have to love everything – education and learning overall”.  To read more, please visithttp://www.utsa.edu/catalyst/vol2/ (an article by Amanda Beck).

Current projects include:

• Multifunctional nanoparticles based on dielectric core/metal shell structures assembled through use of organic polymers. These materials exhibit fluorescent, magnetic and plasmonic behaviors useful for biological and other photonic applications

• Rare earth doped glasses and nanomaterials
• Radiative and nonradiative processes
• Anti-Stokes cooling behaviors
• Magnetic properties

Technical Capabilities and Instrumentation:

• Optical spectroscopy – Absorption, emission, lifetime measurements
• Microscopy : AFM, TEM, SEM
• Various excitation sources including Lasers: Ti:Sapphire, Argon Ion, NdYVO₄
• Near infrared imaging for biological applications.

Laboratory member:

Zannatul Yasmin, 1^st year graduate student

Abstracts and Presentations: 25 (since 2003, four invited)

Journal Articles: 20 (Abbreviated list below)

1. John Gruber, Gary Burdick , Uygun Valiev , Kelly L. Nash, Sharof Rakhimov, and Dhiraj Sardar. “Energy Levels and Symmetry Assignments for Stark Components of    Ho³⁺(4f¹⁰)in Yttrium Gallium Garnet (Y₃Ga₅O₁₂),” J. Appl. Phys. 106, 113110:1-12 (2009).
2. Kelly L. Nash, Robert C. Dennis, Nathan J. Ray, John B. Gruber and Dhiraj K. Sardar. “Absorption Intensities, Emission Cross Sections and Crystal Field Analysis of Selected Intermanifold Transitions of Ho³⁺ in Ho³⁺:Y₂O₃ Nanocrystals,” J. Appl. Phys. 106 063117 (2009).
3. Kelly L. Nash, Robert C. Dennis, John B. Gruber and Dhiraj K. Sardar. “Intensity Analysis and Energy-Level Modeling of Nd³⁺ in Nd³⁺:Y₂O₃ Nanocrystals in Polymeric Hosts,” J. Appl. Phys. 105 033102 (2009).
4. Gary W. Burdick, John B. Gruber, Kelly L. Nash, and Dhiraj K. Sardar. “Analyses of 4f¹¹Energy Levels and Transition Intensities Between Stark Levels of Er³⁺ in Y₃Al₅O₁₂”, Spectroscopy Letters: Spectroscopy of Lanthanide Materials II (in press, 2009).
5. Gagik Demirkhanyan , Edvard Kokanyan, Radik Kostanyan, John Gruber, Kelly Nash and Dhiraj K. Sardar. “Phonon effects on zero-phonon transitions between Stark Levels in NaBi(WO₄)₂:Yb³⁺,” J. Appl. Phys. 105, 063106 (2009).

Contact:

Kelly L. Nash, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Department of Physics and Astronomy

University of Texas at San Antonio

One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249

Phone: 210-458-6153

E-mail: Kelly.Nash@utsa.edu