Andrew Jordan, PhD

Andrew Jordan tells students trying to determine their course in life that 90 percent of finding their path boils down to figuring out what they’re good at and like to do.  This tactic worked well for Chapman University’s Kennedy Chair in Physics and Co-Director, Institute for Quantum Studies.

“When I was young, I discovered I was good at science and interested in it,” says Jordan, who grew up in Dallas, Texas.  He started by taking chemistry, then discovered that he particularly liked physics.

The son of a church minister father and mother who taught history and later became a school principal, Jordan considered following in his father’s footsteps.  But with his interest in how physics can explain why certain things happen in the world around us, he decided he was best suited to academia.  Today, Jordan is well known for his work in theoretical physics, with research in theoretical Quantum Physics, Condensed Matter Physics and Quantum Optics.

“In college, I gravitated toward theoretical physics and in particular the philosophical aspects of the field that ask the big questions, such as why are we here, and what makes us and the universe tick,” he says.  “I chose the field of theoretical physics because it is able to shed light on many of those deep questions from a scientific perspective.”

Academic Achievements

Jordan’s time in college was an “eye-opening, world-expanding period of self-discovery” as he explored the world of physics.  He earned his bachelor’s in Physics and Mathematics in 1997 from Texas A&M University and his PhD in Theoretical Physics in 2002 from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

“I had applied to several graduate schools, and was really happy to get into UC Santa Barbara, because it is one of the best physics graduate schools in the country,” says Jordan.  “I was fortunate to have really good teachers and challenging classes, and I fell in love with California.”

After graduating with his PhD in 2002, Jordan married his wife, Marian, who he met the last year of his time at UC Santa Barbara.  He then took a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Geneva, where he and Marian stayed from 2002-2005 while he studied under Professor Markus Büttiker.  During that time, they welcomed into the world the first two of their four children

“Of all the people I had worked with up until that point, Büttiker had the biggest scientific impact on me,” says Jordan.  “He showed me how to be an active and engaged scientist with a healthy curiosity and the importance of using one’s intuition.”

Joining the University of Rochester

When he finished his fellowship, Jordan applied to several universities.  “It’s extremely hard to find a fulltime tenured tract position, and many of my attempts to get hired were unsuccessful, until I got an email from the University of Rochester in New York,” he says.  “The position they hired me for in 2006 as an assistant professor and general theorist fit me well and is essentially what I do today.”

Jordan thrived at Rochester, where he taught, did research and published, moving up the ranks and becoming a full tenured professor.

John Howell, currently a Professor of Physics at Chapman University, originally met Jordan when Howell was on the hiring committee at the University of Rochester.

“After just a short time working with Andrew, I knew we had made a special hire,” says Howell.  “He is a Bonafide genius with the ability to integrate his theoretical skills with experimental applications.  He can learn a subject very rapidly and quickly push the boundaries of that field in new and surprising directions.  I have given him the nickname of ‘Andrew Dangerous Jordan’ because he loves to break commonly held physics rules that may not actually be rules.”

Howell and Jordan, who became fast friends, have published scientific papers together.  Thanks to a journal article, Jordan was asked to speak at Chapman in 2010.  Eventually, he became an affiliate scholar of the university while still at Rochester.  This entailed visiting Chapman on a regular basis and writing research papers with faculty members, including Jeff Tollaksen.

“I would escape the harsh New York winters and come do physics with the folks at Chapman,” say Jordan, who also became friends with Chapman’s President Daniele Struppa when he was Provost.

Joining Chapman

“Daniele asked me if I would be interested in joining the physics faculty and eventually asked if I’d like to be co-director of the Institute for Quantum Studies,” says Jordan.  “While I could have stayed at Rochester until the end of my career, directing the Institute seemed like a logical next step.  I also liked the idea of returning to California.”

Struppa recalls being impressed with Jordan when he learned about his research at Rochester.  “I thought he was the perfect person to add to our Institute for Quantum Studies,” he says.  “I have always built our strengths through hires that allow us to move quickly and aggressively when we find the right person.  I knew he was the right person for us because of his track record and his specific interests.  He is a top-quality scientist and a spectacular physicist.  His leadership has been key in securing two additional great hires and obtaining new and major external funding.  As we move the Institute to its new space, Andrew has played a key role in designing the space itself.”

The new space Struppa mentions is Chapman University’s Lydia D. Killefer School, a historic building that was recently renovated to house the Institute for Quantum Studies and the state-of-the-art Advanced Physics Laboratory.

“One of my first major tasks when I joined the University in 2021 was to participate in the planning for the Killefer building,” says Jordan.  “It has been exciting and a lot of fun to contribute to the project and great to see it all come together.”

Collette Creppell is Vice President of Campus Planning and Design at Chapman and worked closely with Jordan on the building project.  “I met Andrew three years ago as we began the programming and pre-design phase of the Killefer project.  He brought rigorous questions and delightful imagination to the process of creating the new home for the Institute.  Beyond the quiet internal spaces of work and research, Andrew thought carefully about the communal spaces, both internal and external, which allow for gathering and the exchange of ideas.  One of my favorite moments was watching his delight in knowing the historic black slate chalkboards would be salvaged and returned throughout the historic Killefer building for him and his fellow researchers to use in their fascinating and endless calculations in white chalk on those very boards.”

In addition to his participation in the creation of the new building and co-directing the Institute, Jordan has also enjoyed teaching and continuing to conduct his own research at Chapman.

“Chapman is a great university, and I’m really grateful to everyone I’ve met along my career path who has helped me get to this position,” he says.  “The campus is gorgeous, and the administration is 100 percent supportive and engaged. I also love Old Towne.  It’s a charming place, and I’m really thankful to be here.”