Darin Zimmerman

Darin Zimmerman serves as Dean and Traubert Chair at The Citadel's Swain Family School of Science and Mathematics, and holds a Professor of Physics position in the Department of Physics. With prior roles as Associate Dean at Penn State Altoona, his career spans academic leadership and experimental physics research.

• Education:
  • Ph.D. in Physics – Texas A&M University (2003)
  • B.S. in Physics – University of California, Irvine (1998)

Research Focus:
His work primarily addresses Nanomaterials and Microwave Physics, with key contributions in:

• Plasmonic nanoantenna arrays for electro-optical sensing
• Atomic-layer deposition for tunable nanoscale light-harvesting devices
• Magnetorheological nanofluids and elastomer composites
• Photon-assisted tunneling in asymmetric junctions
• Microwave absorption mechanisms in metal-insulator composites

Publication Trends:
Recent articles emphasize Nanoscale Energy Conversion through rectenna systems, plasmonic tuning, and geometrically asymmetric devices. Earlier works focus on Percolation Transitions in nanocomposites, Microwave Absorption studies, and Tunneling Spectroscopy techniques.

• Departments:
  • Department of Physics
  • Swain Family School of Science and Mathematics
• Research Grants:
  • NSF RUI: Single Molecule Vibrational Spectra
  • NSF RUI: Microwave Heating of Powdered Metals

Technological Innovations:
Invented adjustable oxide-free tunnel junctions for Vibrational Spectroscopy and developed Self-Assembling Tunnel Junctions for molecular studies. His work extends to cavity perturbation techniques for permittivity measurements.