PROFESSOR
ED THOMAS
DISCUSSES PHYSICS,
RESEARCH, STUDENTS,
AND WHAT HE
LOVES ABOUT
AUBURN
Edward Thomas, professor in the Department
of Physics, was born and raised in St. Thomas in
the U.S. Virgin Islands. He received a bachelor
of science, master’s and doctorate in physics
from the Florida Institute of Technology, the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and
Auburn University, respectively. He has been a
faculty member at Auburn for 16 years and is
the Lawrence C. Wit Professor in the College of
Sciences and Mathematics as well as a Charles
W. Barkley Endowed Professor. His research is
in the area of experimental plasma physics with
an emphasis on laboratory simulations of the
space environment and fundamental processes of
particle and energy transport in plasmas and dusty
plasmas. This work is funded through numerous
sources including the National Science Foundation,
NASA, the Department of Energy, and the
Department of Defense. Thomas is also active in
science policy and in fostering the next generation
of scientists through his advisory roles for the
federal government, international organizations,
universities, professional societies, and his work
with the nonprofit organization, Quality Education
for Minorities Network.
1
What brought you to Auburn?
For more than 30 years, Auburn University has
been building a significant research effort in
laboratory, space, and fusion plasma physics. This
is what originally attracted me to Auburn as a
graduate student in the early 1990s to work with
the fusion energy research group. After I completed
my PhD and was working at Fisk University in
Nashville, I was contacted by the Department
of Physics at Auburn University with an offer to
return as a faculty member. Because there are only
a handful of institutions in the United States where
plasma science is a major research activity, I was
very happy to have the opportunity to pursue a
professional career at Auburn and to contribute to
the growth of the plasma physics research program.
2
You were recently selected as
a Charles W. Barkley Endowed
Professor. What does that mean to
you, and what do you do in this role?
Being selected as one of the Charles W. Barkley
Endowed Professors has been a real honor, because
it recognizes both academic achievements as well
as a commitment to fostering a diverse university
community. As a Barkley Professor, I serve as
faculty resource to the Office of Diversity and
Multicultural Affairs (ODMA), contributing to
activities planned by the office, serving as a mentor
for students and faculty, and working on ODMA
initiatives that enhance the inclusiveness of the
Auburn University community. I also work with
ODMA to lead a pre-freshman Auburn Abroad
activity to the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.
3
What has been the most rewarding
part of your career?
Without a doubt, the most rewarding part of
my career has been working with undergraduate
and graduate students in my laboratory. I have
had the pleasure of serving as a research mentor
for more than 30 undergraduate students and
more than a dozen graduate students. Six of my
graduate students earned their doctoral degrees
with me and have gone onto successful careers
in academia, industry, and national labs. Many of
the undergraduate students who began working
with me when I started at Auburn have gone on
to receive PhD and medical degrees, and one has
recently become a physics professor. That makes me
feel that I’ve had an impact as a professor.
plasmas, and planetary formation. Because
the MDPX device is truly a one-of-a-kind
instrument for this type of research, our research
team has committed to operating the laboratory
as a user facility. This means that researchers from
across the U.S. and around the world will be
coming to Auburn to work with us. In October
2015, we had our first international user from
Germany, and in January 2016, we had a user
from South Korea. Throughout the remainder of
2016, we have plans for several more domestic
and international users.
5
What do you think sets Auburn
apart from other universities?
I believe that Auburn really tries to create a sense
of community and belonging among its students,
faculty, and alumni. I’ve had the good fortune
to travel to many institutions around the world,
and few places I’ve been to have that same sense
of camaraderie. As both a faculty member and
an alumnus, I am proud to be associated with
Auburn University.
4
Tell us about your research in
the magnet laboratory and its
uniqueness to Auburn. How does
your research impact the “real
world?”
The design, construction, and operation of the
Magnetized Dusty Plasma Experiment (MDPX)
device and the magnet lab have been a major focus
of my professional life for the last seven years.
When the lab was finally commissioned and we
began operating the magnet for the first time in
summer 2014, it was amazing! The MDPX device
is a superconducting, variable-configuration,
high-magnetic field system for studying plasmas
and “dusty” plasmas under conditions that have
previously been inaccessible in experiments. This
allows us to explore plasma conditions that are
relevant to problems in fusion energy, astrophysical
8
Journey/Spring 2016
College of Sciences and Mathematics
9