Karin A. Dahmen

Karin A. Dahmen is a Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds a Ph.D. in Physics from Cornell University (1995) and a Vordiplom from Universität Bonn (1989). Her research spans non-equilibrium dynamical systems, focusing on universal behavior in plasticity, avalanches, earthquakes, and biophysics.

• Ph.D. - Physics, Cornell University (1995)
• Vordiplom - Physics, Universität Bonn (1989)

Her work uncovers universal scaling laws in systems ranging from nanocrystals to earthquake faults, integrating theories from disordered systems, critical phenomena, and statistical mechanics. Recent studies include neuronal avalanches in epilepsy models and deformation mechanisms in high-entropy alloys.

Key scientific awards: Guggenheim Fellow (2016), Fellow of the American Physical Society (2014), Xerox Senior Faculty Research Award (2011), Beckman Fellow (2001), Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow (2001).

Her publications highlight collaborations with experimental groups in materials science, geophysics, and biophysics, with theories inspiring new experiments in plasticity, granular flow, and superconductors.