The College of Science is pleased to welcome Dr. Jingbiao Cui as the new permanent chair of the UNT Physics Department. Dr. Cui will be relocating to the University of North Texas after serving as Professor and Chair of the Physics and Materials Science Department at the University of Memphis. A significantly funded researcher, much-respected professor, and active member of the American Physics Society, Materials Research Society, and the Optical Society, Dr. Cui received his Ph.D. degree in Physics from the University of Science and Technology of China with a research focus in nanomaterials, nanotechnology and renewable energy.

Dr. Cui is eager to help the Physics Department solidify its status as an outstanding R1 entity.

"The Physics Department at UNT has great potential for further development," said Dr. Cui. "I am honored for the opportunity to serve as the Chair and lead the department toward its future growth in research and educational programs."

During his career, Dr. Cui's research has garnered more than $20M in external grants from federal and state agencies, and his work has been published in 122 papers, appearing in top journals such as Nature Communications, Advanced Function Materials, Physical Review letters, Applied Physics Letters, and Nano Letters. His work has been presented at twenty-two conference proceedings and he has given more than 84 oral and poster presentations at regional, national, and international meetings. He has taught physics courses for both undergraduate and graduate students and has advised eight doctoral students to date, currently mentoring several Ph.D. students, some of whom may also transfer to the University of North Texas in the coming year.

Prior to joining the University of Memphis, Dr. Cui served as a faculty member of Physics at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He also worked as the director of the Arkansas Center for Plasmonics Solar Cell Research, funded by an NSF grant of $6.67 million to develop low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells.

"We are excited about Dr. Cui's expertise as an accomplished physicist and material scientist and his experience as an academic leader," said Dr. Su Gao, Dean of UNT's College of Science. "I am confident that our physics department, under Dr. Cui's leadership, will achieve greater excellence in research and will help our students be more successful."

The UNT Physics Department is committed to carrying out state-of-the-art research across a number of areas of physics. For more information, please visit https://physics.unt.edu/