Ryan P Smith

Ryan P Smith is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at California State University East Bay. He holds a B.S. from Georgia Tech (2004) and a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado (2008). His research focuses on quantum optics, semiconductor nanostructures, and ultrafast spectroscopy, with postdoctoral work at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. His current interests span graphene conductivity, plasmonics, and interdisciplinary studies linking physical phenomena to mental health mechanisms like interoception and neurocomputational modeling of psychiatric disorders.

Dr. Smith’s educational background includes advanced work in physics and materials science, with a strong experimental focus. His research combines nanotechnology, condensed matter physics, and computational neuroscience to explore topics ranging from quantum dot solar cells to the neurobiological underpinnings of anxiety and pain perception. He maintains a lab focused on ultrafast optical spectroscopy and collaborates across disciplines in both physical and biomedical sciences.

His recent publications emphasize computational modeling of interoceptive processes in anorexia nervosa, anxiety-driven decision-making, and experimental studies of novel materials. He actively engages students in research projects at the intersection of physics and health sciences.