Former Graduate Student Biographies

 

Dr. Elizabeth Bell

Dr. Elizabeth Bell received a B. S. in Chemistry from The University of Texas at San Antonio in 1996. She later joined the research group of Sherry Yennello at the Cyclotron Institute at Texas A&M University and earned a Ph. D. in Nuclear Chemistry in May 2005. After receiving her Ph. D., Dr. Bell took a postdoctoral position at Los Alamos National Laboratory where she for the X-2 division in collaboration with the C-INC division. At present she is an instructor at Blinn College in Bryan, TX, teaching chemistry and physics.

 

Dr. John C. (Kris) Hagel

Dr. Kris Hagel enrolled in Texas A & M University in Sept., 1977, graduated with a BS in May, 1981, and with a PhD in Dec, 1986. His doctoral dissertation subject was a study of the properties of hot nuclei. After completion of the PhD, Dr. Hagel spent one year as a Post-Doc in France at GANIL, the French National Accelerator where he participated in experiments and analysis of experiments dealing with the subject of multifragmentation. Dr. Hagel then spent one year in Germany working with a group that concentrated on experiments with gamma rays and their application in the analysis of hot nuclei. After that, he then returned to the Cyclotron Institute where he continues to be involved in research regarding reaction dynamics of hot nuclei.  In addition, for the last ten years, Dr. Hagel and his group have been involved in the planning, construction, execution and analysis of a relativistic heavy ion experiment at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York.

 

Dr. Jehanne Simon-Gillo

Dr. Jehanne Simon-Gillo obtained her Bachelor of Science Degree from Juniata College in 1985. As a graduate student at Texas A&M, she was a Nuclear Chemistry major with an emphasis in relativistic heavy ion physics research. She obtained her Ph.D. Degree at Texas A&M University in 1991. She was invited to Los Alamos National Lab as the Construction Manager for the fabrication of a 24 ton nuclear physics detector for a heavy ion experiment at Brookhaven National Laboratory. She held the position of Physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1990-2001. She was an active member of PHENIX, a high energy nuclear physics experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. PHENIX will study the physics of the early universe by attempting to re-create the "Big Bang" in the laboratory. She was appointed Project Manager for the PHENIX Silicon Multiplicity Vertex Detector (MVD) and was responsible for the design, construction and commissioning of a 35,000 channel silicon detector into PHENIX. At Los Alamos, she was also a member of the NA44 Collaboration at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, and spent approximately 3 months each year in Geneva,Switzerland.

Her present position is Acting Director of Facilities and Project Management Division, Office of Nuclear Physics, Department of Energy. She aids in establishing the vision, strategic plans, goals, and objectives for the scientific and technical activities supported by the DOE Office of Nuclear Physics Facilities and Project Management Division, and Office of Nuclear Physics in general. She is responsible for the operations of the nuclear physics accelerator facilities and the development of new capabilities at these facilities. Since 2001, she also has had the responsibility of Program Manager for Facilities and Instrumentation in the Office of Nuclear Physics.She is responsible for all major scientific instrumentation in the nuclear physics program budget and their required documentation.