Endowed Chairs

The Phillips Professor of Physics

The Phillips Professorship was established from a gift “to recognize and honor the significance and enduring quality of the contributions made to the college by President [Charles F. Phillips] and Mrs. Phillips.” The professorship recognizes faculty who are exceptional in teaching, scholarship, and service. Phillips professors may hail from any discipline, underscoring the depth of talent of the Bates faculty.

Nathan E. Lundblad, Professor of Physics

Professor Nathan Lundblad arrived at Bates in 2009 after being a postdoctoral fellow (Joint Quantum Institute (JQI), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), University of Maryland). He has held positions as visiting scientist (ICFO, Castelldefells, Spain) and as Visiting Associate Research Professor (JQI, University of Maryland).

His research focuses on the physics of matter cooled to just barely above absolute zero, and explores the phenomenon of Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) terrestrially and in microgravity. He performs experiments (with students) at Bates and (with collaborators) at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology using ultracold atoms trapped in ultrahigh vacuum with magnetic fields and lasers. In 2023, he won the 2023 NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal “for research into the dynamics of ultracold shell structures on the International Space Station which has opened a pathway to deeper understanding of the Bose-Einstein condensed bubble.” He also won the 2022 International Space Station Research Awards’—Compelling Results Award—PhysicalSciences. 

Professor Lundblad has been a co-principal investigator for several multi-million dollar NASA grants. His articles have been published in Nature, Quantum Science and Technology, and Physical Review A.

Professor Lundblad is currently chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. He has been a member of the Academic Affairs Council (AAC) as chair of the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Division, among other key service roles.