James Day

Research Associate – Sr. Scientist, Scanning Probe Microscopy

Research Focus

James Day is an experimental physicist and research associate with the Quantum Matter Institute. He completed his PhD from the University of Alberta in 2008, and spent his time there exploring the fundamental properties of quantum solid helium-4. He has been at UBC, in various capacities, ever since.

His expertise is in low temperature physics, scanning tunneling microscopy, microwave spectroscopy, and physics education. Roughly speaking, he studies how electrons behave in exotic materials, and how students behave in first-year physics labs.

He loves science outreach, cares deeply about equitable learning, and is continually attempts to do better. He strives to actively contribute to his profession, and loves collaborating with others and sharing his insights. He tries to spend his time meaningfully and efficiently, and is committed to life-long learning and adaptability. He sees new challenges as opportunities for growth.