Michael Seifert

Michael Seifert serves as Associate Professor of Physics and Chair of the Department of Physics, Astronomy and Geophysics at Connecticut College, where he has taught since 2014.

His academic credentials include:

• B.A. from Swarthmore College
• Ph.D. from the University of Chicago

Professor Seifert's primary research investigates Lorentz symmetry—the fundamental space-time symmetry in Einstein's special relativity—and explores mathematically consistent models for potential symmetry violations and their observational consequences. Beyond this core work, he maintains active interests in the physics of music and sound, plus philosophical implications at the physics-philosophy interface. His teaching portfolio includes Classical Mechanics, Electromagnetic Theory, and General Physics laboratory courses.

As an active researcher, he participates in professional societies including the American Physical Society, Topical Group on Gravity, and Anacapa Society.

Under his departmental leadership, students access state-of-the-art facilities: a geophysical hydrology flume lab, photonics laboratory, observatory with 20-inch telescope, and one of only four operational 1-million volt positive ion accelerators at undergraduate institutions nationwide. The department supports extensive undergraduate research through honors theses, independent studies, and summer projects that frequently lead to co-authored publications and national conference presentations.