Mark Anthony Riley

Mark Anthony Riley is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Physics at Florida State University, holding the Raymond K. Sheline Professorship in Physics. He has led the Nuclear Physics Group (Experiment) since joining FSU in 1990 and currently serves as Department Chair.

Education

• Bachelor of Science: University of Liverpool, UK (1981)
• Doctor of Philosophy: University of Liverpool, UK (1985)

Research Interests

Professor Riley specializes in experimental nuclear physics, investigating exotic nuclear phenomena through advanced gamma-ray detection. His work focuses on nuclear superfluid behavior, unusual nuclear shapes and shape co-existence, limits of nuclear stability, and nuclear structure under ultra-rapid rotation. He utilizes state-of-the-art systems including Gammasphere and the FSU Gamma-ray Array, while contributing to next-generation projects like GRETINA-GRETA for nuclear science research.

Professional History

After postdoctoral positions at the Niels Bohr Institute (1985-86) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory/University of Tennessee (1987-88), Riley returned to the University of Liverpool as an Advanced Fellow (1989-90). He joined Florida State University as Assistant Professor in 1990, advancing to Associate Professor (1994), Professor (1996), and Raymond K. Sheline Professor (2001). He served as Associate Chairman (2003-2007) before becoming Department Chair in 2007.

Laboratories and Collaborations

Riley conducts experiments using FSU's Superconducting Linear Accelerator Facility and Gamma-ray Array, while maintaining active collaborations with national laboratories including Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Gammasphere project. As former Chair of the Gammasphere Users Executive Committee (2006), he organized major scientific initiatives and contributes to national committees developing next-generation gamma-ray facilities in the United States.