Joseph Orenstein

Joseph Orenstein is a Distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Senior Staff Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. With a career spanning academia and national research labs, he leads the Orenstein Research Group focused on condensed matter physics and materials science.

• B.S. and Ph.D. in Physics from MIT
• Former Member of Technical Staff at Bell Labs

His research employs ultrashort laser pulses to investigate dynamical processes in condensed matter systems, including spin/charge propagation, Cooper-pairing in superconductors, and quantized photocurrents in topological semimetals. The lab’s work has been recognized with the Isakson Award for Optics.

He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a Member of the National Academy of Sciences. Current projects focus on spin wave propagation in antiferromagnets.