James Vesenka

James Vesenka is a Professor of Physics at the University of New England (UNE), where he has been since 2000. Previously, he served as an Assistant Professor at California State University Fresno (CSUF). His research focuses on molecular self-assembly of four-stranded DNA, scanning probe microscopy (SPM), and physics education reform. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of California, Davis, and conducted postdoctoral research at Iowa State University.

Dr. Vesenka pioneered SPM techniques for biomolecular imaging and holds patents related to this work. He established SPM facilities at CSUF and UNE through NSF and Research Corporation grants. His recent work includes studying DNA auto-orientation on phyllosilicates and collaborating with Dr. Eva Balog on high-resolution SPM analysis using an NSF-funded Cypher instrument.

He is a proponent of research-based 'modeling instruction' and transformed UNE's physics curriculum into a studio format emphasizing hands-on learning and life science applications. All 17 of his research assistants have pursued professional schools, primarily medicine. His teaching integrates advances from PER, including fluid dynamics labs derived from his NSF-funded research.