Shelly Lesher, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Physics, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Biographical Sketch
Shelly Lesher is an Associate Professor of physics at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UWL) with an active research program in experimental low-energy nuclear physics and developing the next generation of scientists. At an undergraduate institution, she has developed a course to educate scientists and non-scientist on the topics of nuclear weapons, energy, and policy in society using a multidisciplinary approach. She is the Director of the American Physical Society’s (APS) Conference Experience for Undergraduate Students for the Division of Nuclear Physics and Chair of the APS Committee on International Freedom of Scientists. Previously, Lesher has held positions at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, CA.
Planned Activities
From the physics side, I will work on data analysis from a series of (p,t) experiments performed at the Q3D at TU Munich and finish analysis on lifetime measurements in 168Er. I would like to teach students about nuclear weapons and their impact on society and to start conversations with the whole community about the broader implications of science, including current events and human rights. I am interested in collaborating with the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization to learn more about the pathway toward nuclear disarmament.