Dr. Chris Varney

• Position: Department Chair, Associate Professor
• Department: Physics
• Office Location: Building 58, Room 101
• cvarney@uwf.edu
• Campus: 8504742271
• Personal UWF Website

Biography

Dr. Christopher N. Varney, Department of Physics Chair and Associate Professor, has published more than a dozen scholarly articles on such topics as quantum magnetism, ultra-cold atomic gases, topological insulators, and quantum spin liquids. Varney, who joined UWF in 2013, earned a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of California at Davis, where he focused on strongly correlated electronic systems and computational physics, particularly quantum Monte Carlo. He then had two two-year postdoctoral fellowships, one at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and one at Georgetown University/Joint Quantum Institute.  He also received a M.S. in Physics from the University of California at Davis and a B.S. in Physics from Northern Arizona University.

Varney’s research background is in computational condensed matter physics. He is interested in using computer algorithms to understand models for phenomena that are observed in materials. His tools for investigation include exact diagonalization, quantum Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics. Varney’s work has been published in Physical Review Letters, New Journal of Physics, Physical Review B, Virtual Journal of Atomic Quantum Fluids and elsewhere.

Degrees & Institutions

Ph.D. Physics, University of California at Davis, 2009
M.S. Physics, University of California at Davis, 2005
B.S. Physics, Northern Arizona University, 2004

Research

Varney’s research background is in computational condensed matter physics, quantum magnetism, topological insulators, exact diagonalization, Quantum Monte Carlo and physics education. 

Special Interests

He is interested in using computer algorithms to understand models for phenomena that are observed in materials.

Publications

Varney’s work has been published in Physical Review Letters, New Journal of Physics, Physical Review B, Virtual Journal of Atomic Quantum Fluids and elsewhere.

Keywords: quantum magnetism, ultra-cold atomic gases, topological insulators, quantum spin liquids, strongly correlated electronic systems, exact diagonalization, quantum Monte Carlo, molecular dynamics, computational physics, physics eduation