Mark’s interaction with atoms in a scientific context began as an
undergraduate in the Chemistry department at Caltech. Given the local
conditions, he focused his attention on warm (room temperature) atoms and
molecules, performing quantum and classical numerical simulations to study
the solvation of small molecules in various solvents. After receiving his
B.S. in Chemistry, he began graduate school in the Physics department at
MIT. Perhaps affected by the change in climate, his PhD research focused
on the dynamics of electron and nuclear spins in mesoscopic systems at
cryogenic temperatures. Now several blocks farther north, he is
continuing his work on mesoscopic systems and exploring new problems in
ultra-cold atoms as a postdoc in the Condensed Matter Theory group at
Harvard.