Dean Grant Jensen of the College of Computational, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences is pleased to announce that BYU has appointed Robert Davis as chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy starting July 1, 2025. Davis will replace Dr. Kent Gee, who has served as department chair since 2019.
“Physics and Astronomy continues to move forward and upward in so many ways,” said Jensen. “I look forward to Rob working as the chair to continue the department’s growth.”
Davis is known for his work on applied micro- and nanoscale materials, particularly involving carbon nanotubes. He co-founded BYU’s Nano‑Carbon Physics Lab in 2003, focusing on carbon nanotube fabrication. His lab work led to over thirty patents. His recent research is focused on the development of biomedical technologies based on carbon nanotube and metal microstructures.
He completed his undergraduate studies in physics at Brigham Young University and earned his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Utah before conducting postdoctoral research at Cornell University.
Davis received the BYU Technology Transfer Award in 2024. He was co-author on high-impact research, including the 2017 Materials Research Express article on microfabrication using carbon nanotube composites, and the 2016 Nanoscale article on vertically aligned single-walled carbon nanotube forests.
Amid the transition, Dean Jensen highlighted the exemplary leadership and commitment of outgoing chair, Kent Gee. “Kent has been an inspiring leader, both in words and actions,” he said. “We thank him for everything he has done, said, and written over the past six years as chair.”