Faculty and Staff
Faculty
Tom McClain
Associate Professor of Physics; Interim Department Head
- Howe Hall 207
- Email: mcclaint@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8294
Professor McClain teaches General Physics for first-year students. His research interests include quantum theories of gravity, gravitational wave astronomy, philosophy of physics, and mobile and cloud-based physics simulations for education.
Paul Aiken
Visiting Assistant Professor of Engineering
- Howe Hall 207
- Email: paiken@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8850
Paul Aiken teaches courses in electrical circuits, analog and digital electronics, and introduction to engineering.
Emma Aldrich
Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics and Engineering
- Howe Hall 118
- Email: ealdrich@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8814
Emma Aldrich teaches courses in general physics.
Jonathan Erickson
Professor of Physics and Engineering
On Leave
- Howe Hall 222
- Email: ericksonj@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8293
Erickson’s courses include Physics and Perception of Music, Electronics, and Bioengineering and Bioinspired Design. His research interests include biomedical signal processing for gastrointestinal electrical activity patterns. In his Bioelectronics Lab, students develop electronics hardware and software algorithms to measure dynamic patterns of electrical activity in the gastrointestinal tract.
Joel Kuehner
Professor of Physics and Engineering and Director of Engineering
- Howe Hall 223
- Email: kuehnerj@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8153
Kuehner teaches courses in entry-level engineering, mechanics, thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. His recent research focuses on periodic water flows and oscillatory natural convection to uncover the causes of periodic behavior. In his Fluid Diagnostics Lab, research examines turbulent mixing mechanics. Students acquire flow properties such as temperature or velocity using laser-based methods that do not disturb the flow.
Mengying Liu
Assistant Professor of Engineering
- Howe Hall 220
- Email: mliu@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8599
Mengying Liu teaches courses in materials and mechanics. Her research background is in hydrogen embrittlement behavior of alloy 725, investigating the localized plasticity on the surface of the hydrogen embrittled materials in situ with scanning electron microscope. She received her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Texas A&M University.
Dan Mazilu
Department Head; Professor of Physics
On Sabbatical – Fall 2026
- Howe Hall 203B
- Email: mazilud@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8172
Mazilu teaches courses in general physics, classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, and special topics in contemporary physics. His research interests include experimental and theoretical studies of self-assembled nanoparticle monolayers, as well as interdisciplinary projects in the field of complex systems.
Irina Mazilu
Ruth Parmly Professor of Physics and Engineering
On Sabbatical – Fall 2026
- Howe Hall 219
- Email: mazilui@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8171
Irina Mazilu teaches courses in general physics, statistical physics, nuclear physics and computational modeling of physical systems. Her current projects include nanoparticle self-assembly and applications of statistical physics to social sciences.
Son Nguyen
Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics
- Howe Hall 118
- Email: snguyen@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8888
Son Nguyen teaches courses in general physics and quantum mechanics. He is interested in applying effective field theories to nuclear few-body systems. His work involves the search for fundamental symmetry violations, direct detection of dark matter, and properties of cluster-structured atomic nuclei. Recently, he has been exploring new computational methods for studying few-body quantum mechanics using lattice formulations of these effective field theories.
Todd Rutkowski
Instructor of Physics
- Howe Hall 205
- Email: trutkowski@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8883
Todd Rutkowski teaches courses in general physics. His current focus is on implementing effective physics pedagogies throughout the undergraduate curriculum. His research background is in condensed matter physics, studying magnetic phases of ultracold gases which arise due to strong quantum fluctuations at low temperature. He also studies cultural heritage science, leveraging non-invasive spectroscopic techniques to identify pigments used in historical paintings.
Poorya Shobeiry
Visiting Assistant Professor of Engineering
- Howe Hall 111
- Email: pshobeiry@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8888
Poorya Shobeiry teaches courses in engineering. His teaching interests include mechanics, engineering graphics, MATLAB programming, engineering mathematics, and control systems. He is particularly interested in helping students connect engineering theory with practical applications through computation, modeling, and design.
David Sukow
Professor of Physics
- Howe Hall 218
- Email: sukowd@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8881
Sukow’s courses include Stellar Evolution and Cosmology, Modern Physics, Optics, and Quantum Mechanics. His research involves nonlinear dynamics in semiconductor lasers, and is beginning to include astrophysics.
Emeritus Faculty
Staff
Tanya Bennett
Academic Administrative Assistant
Chris Compton
Laboratory Technician and Research Specialist
- Howe Hall 215
- Email: comptonc@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8850
Analise LaRiviere
Assistant Director of Engineering
Advises all engineering majors as they progress through the curriculum and work toward career goals. Supports continuous improvement practices associated with assessing the student outcomes of the engineering program. Assists with the coordination of all ABET accreditation processes.
Department Info
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Physics and Engineering Department
Washington and Lee University
204 W. Washington Street
Lexington, Virginia 24450
Physical Address: Howe Hall / Science Center