Stuart H Tessmer

Stuart H Tessmer serves as Associate Professor, Associate Chair, Undergraduate Program Director, and Graduate Program Co-Director in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Michigan State University. His research develops low-temperature scanning probe techniques to investigate nanoscale electron behavior in quantum systems.

His educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Physics, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (1995)
• M.S. in Physics, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (1992)
• B.S. in Physics, University of Washington (1989)

Tessmer's research spans nanoelectronics, superconductivity, quantum interference/confinement, and topological insulators. His group pioneered Charge Imaging technology (0.01 electrons/√Hz noise level) to resolve quantum structures of trapped electrons, including landmark Nature Physics work detecting individual electrons in silicon clusters. Current projects focus on Majorana fermion detection and nitrogen doping effects in Bi₂Se₃ topological insulators.

Recent publications reveal three dominant research trajectories: topological quantum materials (particularly Bi₂Se₃-superconductor interfaces), Majorana state characterization in Josephson junctions, and novel scanning probe instrumentation like the Scanning Majorana Microscope. His educational research develops the Three-Dimensional Learning Observation Protocol for physics instruction assessment.

Tessmer directs an NSF-funded REU site providing undergraduate research experiences and teaches senior-level electronics courses (Physics 440). His Nano Probe Microscopy Group designs custom scanning probe instruments for quantum phenomena investigation, with ongoing work on microbial nanowires and semiconductor defect analysis.