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National Center for Physical Acoustics
University of Mississippi

Dr. Josh Gladden Named NCPA Director

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Dr. Josh Gladden

The Jamie Whitten National Center for Physical Acoustics is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Josh Gladden as its new Director.  Dr. Gladden has been group leader for the Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy lab at the NCPA since 2005. He holds a B.S. in Physics from the University of the South (1991), M.S. in Physics from the University of Montana (1993), and Ph.D. degree in Physics from Pennsylvania State University (2003).

Gladden’s current research interests include precision high temperature and pressure elastic constant measurements using resonant ultrasound spectroscopy.  His group has developed these methods to study metallic hydrides near critical points and phase transitions in novel materials such as Zintl phase and nanostructured thermoelectrics. Additionally, Dr. Gladden has published research on acoustics and self-assembly dynamics in complex wormlike micellar fluids. Recently he has begun to focus on vibrational and acoustic energy harvesting methods.

In addition to his research activities, Dr. Gladden is also a strong presence in educational efforts at Ole Miss. He will remain on the faculty of the Physics Department as an Associate Professor and is the Faculty Advisor to the Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics Living Learning Community (STEM LLC) on the Ole Miss campus. In 2012, he served as the Director for the Physical Acoustics Summer School, bringing top researchers and graduate students from the U.S. and abroad to our campus.

“The NCPA serves an important role in the national and international acoustics community by striving to understand the fundamental science and engineering of acoustics related phenomenon,” Gladden notes. “Part of what makes NCPA such an intellectually exciting place to work is the diversity of research – from very low frequency sound generated by hurricanes to wave propagation in complex porous media to atomic structural transitions in crystals.  I am honored to help guide the NCPA, with its talented group of scientists, engineers, and staff, in the coming years.”

Dr. Gladden takes over for Interim Director Dr. James Chambers who will be an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering in 2013. The NCPA would like to thank Dr. Chambers for dedicated service and wish him well in his new position.