Group
Our Team
Post Doctoral Fellows
Dr. Eklavya Thareja
Eklavya Thareja is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the group. He completed his PhD at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. In his PhD, he studied phenomena related to defects and disorder on Topological insulator surfaces and at interfaces of Topological Insulators and other materials such as semiconductors.
He is currently investigating the effects of planar defects on electronic properties in Weyl semimetals using low-energy model Hamiltonians and DFT calculations. He is also interested in the interfaces of topological, magnetic, and superconducting materials. Apart from physics, he likes to read, café hopping, and go for long walks and jog in the stunning city of Tampa. Joined the group in Winter 2023
Graduate Students
Gina Pantano
Gina Pantano is a PhD student in Applied Physics. She was the first to graduate from the University of Tampa with her B.S. in Physics and Mathematics in May 2021. Her previous research was in the fields of mathematical physics, observational astronomy, and observational cosmology. Most recently, she completed a remote internship in summer 2021 for the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in their Observational Cosmology Laboratory. She worked as the computational scienctist intern for the EXperiment for Cryogenic Large-Aperture Intensity Mapping (EXCLAIM) mission.
She is currently investigating the electronic structure and transport for chiral quantum materials with linear and planar defects using simple Hamiltonian models, DFT/NEGF, and deep learning. She will develop a multiscale transport code to study larger complex systems. She hopes to connect her interests in astrophysics, computational physics, and condensed matter physics in the future by developing innovative quantum technologies for space related applications. Outside of physics, she is a mom of two cats, enjoys cooking, traveling, and watching a good sci-fi movie or documentary. Joined the group in Summer 2021
Dang-Khoa Le
Dang-Khoa Le is a PhD student in Applied Physics at USF. He completed his bachelor’s degree in Physics Teacher Education from Can Tho University, Vietnam. In his previous research, he explored the electronic properties of graphene-based materials using a tight-binding model
Currently, his research interests lie in studying bulk and 2D magnetic materials theoretically and experimentally to uncover their intrinsic magnetic properties. He aims to achieve this by applying various stimuli or interfacing with other materials using multiple computational packages and experimental techniques. To accomplish his goal, he is co-advised by Prof. Gayles from Quantum Chiraltronics Group and Prof. Phan from the Advanced Materials and Sensors Group at USF. Joined the group in Summer 2022
Samuel Tkacik
Samuel Tkacik is recently finished bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and in Physics as an honors student at the University of South Florida. In addition to this, he is a member of the Quantum Chiraltronics Group and will begin doctoral studies in August.
He is currently investigating scattering properties and desirable quantum states in 2D and 3D quantum materials with magnetic defects. His work currently implements tight-binding computational methods to study relevant transport properties. Future aims in research will be achieved by exploring similar systems with the additional property of super conductance. His work will seek to provide novel methods of understanding quantum information and computing through states like those that he is currently identifying.
In Samuel’s free time he enjoys spending time with his dogs, lifting weights, and creating his own math puzzles. He also is a seasoned traveller having the opportunity to study abroad in Exeter, England where he embarked on adventures that required any combination of modes of transportation. Joined the group in Summer 2023
Undergraduate Students
Bektur Konushbaev
Bektur Konushabev is a third-year undergraduate at the University of South Florida, pursuing a B.S. in Physics and a B.A. in Mathematics. He first began working with Dr. Gayles to study the tight-binding model and its application to graphene. After joining the Quantum Chiraltronics Group in the summer of 2024, he started working on applying the tight-binding model to Kagome materials. He hopes to incorporate spin and other factors into the model and extend it to natural materials like Co3Sn2S2.
After graduating, he plans to pursue a Master's degree or a PhD program. Despite focusing on solid-state physics and material science, Bektur is also interested in Quantum mechanics, Astrophysics, and related research areas.
Outside of physics, he likes reading non-fiction and playing multiplayer computer games with his friends. Joined the group in Summer 2024
Ian Rushton
Ian Rushton is an undergraduate student getting a B.S. in Physics and a B.S. in Mathematics. He started his undergraduate career in 2022 at University of South Florida. The B.S. in Physics is to explore the world in some capacity. The B.S. in Mathematics is because he enjoys math.
He plans on continuing his education by going to graduate school for a Masters degree in Physics and soon after that a PhD in Physics. He is still exploring all of the areas of Physics to see what they all have to offer. but he is most interested in Material Physics. He has previously worked with Dr. Rosengrant on his Video Game Vignettes project which connects video game gameplay to real physics principles. He will be researching Spin Dynamics using the Vampire Program while working with Dr. Gayles.
Outside of Physics his biggest accomplishment is he is an Eagle Scout of Boy Scouts of America. He also enjoys playing Dungeons and Dragons and painting Warhammer miniatures when not doing physics research. Joined the group in Summer 2024
Former Members
Cole Gibson - Graduate Student at Princeton University
Dani Herrera - Graduate Student at Rutgers University
Allora Nowak - Graduate Student at Univeristy of West Florida
Dr. Bushra Sabir - PostDoctoral Scholar (2021-2022)
Fatai Wahaab - now at PsiQuantum
Abeeb Ajibade - Graduate Student at University of Missouri