Robert Owen

Robert Owen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Oberlin College, affiliated with the College of Arts & Sciences. His research focuses on computational general relativity, gravitational wave modeling, and black hole collisions through the SXS collaboration. He teaches courses like Electricity and Magnetism (PHYS 311) and Modern Physics (PHYS 212).

• BS in Physics, University of Utah (2001)
• PhD from California Institute of Technology (2007)

Research interests include vacuum general relativity, spacetime dynamics, and numerical simulations of extreme astrophysical events. His work supports gravitational wave detection via LIGO and explores foundational questions in classical gravity.

• Develops scientific visualizations for teaching and research
• Collaborates on NSF-funded projects involving dozens of student researchers

Prior positions include postdoctoral work at Cornell University. His work bridges theoretical physics with hands-on educational initiatives, including unconventional demonstrations like sand plate experiments for student audiences.

Labs/Teams: Member of Simulating Extreme Spacetimes (SXS) collaboration using the SpEC computational code.