Physics chair Andrei Slavin named 2013 Distinguished Professor

Andrei Slavin, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Physics, has been named Oakland University’s 2013 Distinguished Professor. The rank is awarded based on achievements in the areas of teaching, intellectual contributions and service to the university. 

“The designation of Distinguished Professor is the highest honor that Oakland University bestows on a faculty member,” said Dr. Susan Awbrey, interim provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. “The significant accomplishments of Dr. Slavin make him worthy of this prestigious honor and exemplary of its significance.”

Dr. Slavin joined the OU community as an assistant professor in 1991. He was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 1994 and named a full professor in 1998. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated exceptional leadership in a department widely recognized for exemplary service and scholarly contributions.

Dr. Slavin's achievements have been immense and far-reaching. In 2006, he coauthored “Bose-Einstein condensation of quasi-equilibrium magnons at room temperature.” The article was later published in Nature, one of the most prestigious scientific journals in the world. In 2008, he published five articles in “Physical Review Letters,” a top physics research journal. In recognition of his efforts, Dr. Slavin received the 2009 Research Excellence Award from Oakland.

“I am very happy and proud to be a part of Oakland University and will do everything possible in the future to further enhance the scientific reputation of our great university,” Dr. Slavin said. 

“I am also glad to be the third Distinguished Professor – after Dr. Michael Chopp and Dr. Gopalan Srinivasan – in the Department of Physics. It is especially rewarding to understand that our department’s achievements in research, teaching and service are so highly recognized by Oakland University.”

In 2010, Dr. Slavin was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), one of the world’s preeminent organizations in the field of physics. Although no more than one half of one percent of society members achieve this honor annually, Dr. Slavin became the third member of OU’s Department of Physics to receive it, joining colleagues Dr. Bradley Roth and Dr. David Garfinkle. 

 
According to the APS citation, Dr. Slavin was elected a fellow for “contributions to the understanding of linear and nonlinear spin wave dynamics in magnetic films and nanostructures, microwave magnetic envelope solitons and magnetization dynamics induced by spin momentum transfer.” 

 
In 2012, Dr. Slavin was named a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world’s largest professional association for the advancement of technology. The Magnetics Society of the IEEE has recognized him “for contributions to magnetic excitations and magnetization dynamics induced by spin transfer.”

Along with his professional achievements, Dr. Slavin has gained research funding from a wide variety of sources. More than $1 million in funding has come from the Department of Defense, including grants from the Army Research Office, U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). In addition, Dr. Slavin has obtained six grants from the National Science Foundation totaling more than $1 million, all as principal investigator. Grants from Research Corporation and several foreign countries have supported his collaborations with international scholars. In all, Dr. Slavin’s efforts have brought more than $3 million in external funding to OU. 

For more information about OU's physics programs, view the website at oakland.edu/physics.