Prof. Robert R. Jones is a Professor in the Department of Physics. He earned a B.S. with a double major in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette (1985) and his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Virginia (1990). He spent three years as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Michigan before returning to UVa as an Assistant Professor in 1993. He typically teaches introductory physics courses for physics majors, engineers, and non-scientists, but he has also developed a number of multi-disciplinary graduate level courses in his research speciality - atomic, molecular, and optical science.
Members of Prof. Jones' research group use intense laser pulses with very short durations to subject atoms and small molecules to electromagnetic forces that meet or exceed those that bind electrons to nuclei within atoms. A large part of their work involves the design of laser pulses or pulse sequences that will allow them to alter or control intra-atomic/molecular motion and, thereby, modify atomic or molecular reactivity. A related area of their research is the development of techniques that utilize extremely brief pulses of light to illuminate atoms and molecules so that the incredibly rapid motion of the constituent particles can be monitored.
Prof. Jones has received numerous awards including the ONR Young Investigator Award (1994), the ORAU Physics Award (1996), the Packard Fellowship (1996), APS Fellowship (2000), and the UVa Physics Department Outstanding Teacher Award (2002). Additional Department and University activities include service as the Physics Department Associate Chairman for Graduate Studies (1998-2002) and participation on the Virginia 2020 Science and Technology Commission.
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