Nancy Sandler is a theorist who works on condensed matter physics. Her
main research interests are systems whose properties can only be
understood by using the rules that govern the quantum world, a
world where particles are waves and waves are particles and nothing
stands still. Her research focuses on materials and nanostructures
with strong electronic correlations that are or can be driven away
from equilibrium (by driving a current or applying an external
voltage). She utilizes systematic analytical and numerical methods
to determine phase diagrams, charge and magnetic order, and
transport properties of different materials and surfaces.
A native of Argentina, Sandler obtained her undergraduate B. Sc. degree in Physics at the Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires and continued her graduate studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she obtained her M. Sc. (1994) and her Ph.D. (1998) degrees in Physics. Since then, she has held the CNRS research associate positions at the Ecole Normale Superieure (Paris) and University of Paris-Sud (Orsay), as well as postdoctoral positions at Brandeis University and Boston University before joining Ohio University as an assistant professor in 2005. She is an affiliate faculty of the Women's Studies program and an advisor for the Latino Student Union.
Sandler summarizes her approach to teaching using the aphorism attributed to Confucius: ``I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand''. As a scientist, she finds discussions with students highly motivating and encourages a lively exchange of ideas by planning classes in which students are actively engaged.
Favorite quote outside physics: ``It's a magical world, Hobbes, ol' buddy. Let's go exploring!'', by Bill Watterson in his last comic strip of Calvin and Hobbes.
Sandler's pastimes include traveling, reading, and, before the birth of her baby daughter Julia Mia, pottery-making.
