Dr. Perakis comes to UAB from the Department of Physics of the University of Crete in Heraklion, Greece. He received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1986 from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece. He went on to receive his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in 1988 and 1992, respectively. He conducted postdoctoral work at Rutgers University and AT&T Bell Laboratories.Dr. Perakis has held numerous professional and academic positions, including Visiting Professorships at Oakridge National Laboratory, Boston University, and the Louis Pasteur University and theCentre National de la Recherche Scientifiquein Strasbourg France, and has maintained affiliate appointments with Vanderbilt University over the years. As an administrator, he served as Chair of the Department of Materials Science & Technology at the University of Crete. For many years he coordinated the undergraduate student Internship Program and directed Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Physics at the University of Crete, where he also served as Associate Chair.
Dr. Perakis is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America (OSA), a recipient of an NSF CAREER Award, and has been honored with a Faculty Research Participation Award at Oakridge National Laboratory. His research focuses on the theory of non-equilibrium quantum manipulation of complex materials for fundamental physics, life sciences, and next-generation device applications, including nanostructures, semiconductors, metals, and quantum materials. He collaborates closely with other scientists to maximize the impact of large U.S. and European Union investments in innovative spectroscopic tools, and intends to lead the Department of Physics to become an internationally recognized center of excellence in non-equilibrium advanced materials.
“We are fortunate to have recruited an outstanding international physicists to Chair our Department of Physics,” says Dean Robert Palazzo. “Dr. Perakis is widely published and a sought-after lecturer for international conferences. He is also a popular teacher who has led courses at all levels, including advanced and interdisciplinary subjects in both the U.S. and Greece. In addition, he has a passion for promoting STEM education by designing active learning environments in the classroom. His broad international experience, his strength in large scale data modeling and simulation, together with his experience and insights in materials science and engineering will add new dimensions and opportunities at UAB for advancing our undergraduate and graduate programs and creating novel interactions with the Medical School, the School of Engineering, and Southern Research Institute, among others.”
