- Ph.D., Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- M.S., Solid State Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
- B.S., Theoretical Physics, Shandong University
Professor of Physics
Xidong Chen teaches calculus-based General Physics II and III and upper division physics courses, such as Classical Mechanics, Electrodynamics, Quantum Mechanics, and Advanced Physics Lab. He believes that students need to be active participants in the learning process and applies pedagogical approaches both in and out of the classroom to encourage students to do so. His Advanced Lab course is designed to emulate real research experience. Chen views studying physics as an act of worship and loves to share his passion for physics with his students.
Chens research currently focuses on density functional theory studies and high performance computing. His other research areas include surface growth dynamics, Monte Carlo simulations, and atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies of cell structures. Chens research has resulted in publications in peer-reviewed journals, such as Physical Review Letters and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.