James Sethna

James Sethna is the James Gilbert White Professor of Physical Sciences at Cornell University, affiliated with the Department of Physics and the College of Arts and Sciences. His research spans theoretical physics, focusing on condensed matter, biophysics, and materials science. Key themes include sloppy models, glass transitions, and quantum tunneling.

Education:

• BA, 1977, Physics, Harvard University
• PhD, 1981, Princeton University

Research Interests: Dr. Sethna explores self-similar systems and critical exponents in disordered materials, stochastic cellular dynamics, and topological defects in liquid crystals. His work bridges statistical mechanics with nonlinear dynamics, as seen in his studies of zombie epidemiology and mosh pit behavior.

Publication Trends: Recent articles (2019-2013) focus on

• data visualization in complex systems,
• renormalization group methods for sloppy models,
• glassy dynamics and avalanches,
• machine learning applications in physics,
• stochastic algorithms like the Wolff method,
• quantum statistical mechanics in superconductors.

Awards:

• Sloan Research Fellow (1985)
• Presidential Young Investigator Award (1985)

Advising: Mentors graduate students like Stephen Thornton. His grants include NSF #DMR-9419506 and DOE #DE-FG02-88-ER45364 for computational studies of hysteresis and avalanches.