Professor teaching two students how to use radio equipment in the lab

Physics and Engineering Department

What We Do:

Our department is committed to providing an environment in which our students attain the knowledge and skills to contribute to and thrive in their chosen profession.

This environment includes

  • A full spectrum of courses that provide a strong framework and foundation
  • Research and internship opportunities to foster the application and expansion of knowledge and skills
  • Mentoring and advising to promote personal and intellectual growth
  • Opportunities to reach out to the local and regional community, reinforcing a commitment to ethical, professional and socially conscientious practices

We support the overall mission of The University of Scranton and the College of Arts and Sciences to provide a transformative educational experience for our students firmly rooted in the Jesuit intellectual tradition.

How We Stand Out:

  • Unexcelled in quality of instruction and content
  • Employ the latest in laboratory, simulation and modeling techniques
  • Emphasis on active and applied learning 
  • Values-based education based on Jesuit principles  

The Jesuit educational theme reaches nearly every syllabus where professional ethics is likely to be a staple.

Rob Huylo, Electrical Engineering, Class of 2014

Programs:

  • Biophysics - Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science in which the principles and techniques of physics are applied to the study of living things and how they work.
  • Computer Engineering - Focuses on research, design, development and testing of computer systems and applications. The Computer Engineering (B.S.) program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET
  • Electrical Engineering - The design and development of electrical equipment.
  • Engineering Management - The study of business, economics, physics and electrical engineering for a management role in the technology sector.
  • Mechanical Engineering - The innovative development, design, manufacture, and analysis of different mechanical systems such as power plants, transport systems, industrial equipment, machinery, heating and cooling systems, aircraft, watercraft, robotics, medical devices, and others.
  • Physics - The study of our universe, from atoms to galaxies, from quarks to baseballs.
  • Pre-Engineering - A one- or two-year, non-degree program to prepare students to major in their desired field of engineering.

Meet Our Faculty:

As you would expect from a leading Jesuit university, our faculty are renowned for their academic excellence, cutting-edge research, and strong commitment to teaching with a special emphasis on getting to know the unique needs and goals of every student.

Our faculty have a diverse range of expertise: acoustics, optics, solid state experiment and theory, and nuclear theory.

We really love what we’re doing. This is what we do. This is our lives.

Dr. Robert Spalletta

Dr. W. Andrew Berger

Dr. W. Andrew Berger

Chair

Department Chair

M.S., Technical University of Poznan, Poland
M.S., Ph.D., Drexel University

Phone: (570) 941-4056
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Prof. Kenneth Dudeck

Prof. Kenneth Dudeck
B.S., Penn State University
M.S., Villanova University

Phone: 570-941-7508
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Dr. Nathaniel A. Frissell

Dr. Nathaniel A. Frissell
B.S. Montclair State University
M.S., Ph.D. Virginia Tech

Phone: 570-941-7003
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Internal Website

Prof. Rachel Frissell

Prof. Rachel Frissell
B.S. Indiana University of Pennsylvania
M. Eng. Virginia Tech
M.S. NJIT

Phone: 570-941-7007
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Dr. Geng Liu

Dr. Geng Liu
B.S., University of Science and Technology of China, China
Ph.D., University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Phone: (570) 941-7412
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Dr. Farshad Merrikh-Bayat

Dr. Farshad Merrikh-Bayat
B.S., K.N. Toosi University of Technology, Iran
M.S., Ph.D., Sharif University of Technology, Iran

Phone: (570) 941-7508
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Dr. Declan Mulhall

Dr. Declan Mulhall
B.Sc., Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin
M.Sc., Ph.D., Michigan State University

Phone: (570) 941-6296
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Prof. Paul Pearson

Prof. Paul Pearson
B.S., M.S., The University of Scranton

Phone: 570-941-7687
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Dr. Mojib Saei

Dr. Mojib Saei
B.S., Sharif University of Technology, Iran
M.S., Ph.D., Purdue University

Phone: 570-941-5189
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Dr. Juan D. Serna

Dr. Juan D. Serna
B.S., Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia
M.S., Ph.D., University of Arkansas

Phone: (570) 941-6582
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Dr. Robert Spalletta

Dr. Robert Spalletta
B.S., Stevens Institute of Technology
M.S., Ph.D., University of Rochester

Phone: (570) 941-6210
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Dr. Argyrios Varonides

Dr. Argyrios Varonides
B.S., University of Thessalonika, Greece
M.S., Temple University
Ph.D., Drexel University

Phone: (570) 941-6290
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Dr. Christine Zakzewski

Dr. Christine Zakzewski
B.S. Rutgers University, Piscataway
M.S., Ph.D., Rutgers University, Graduate School of New Brunswick

Phone: (570) 941-6285
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Internal Website

Inside the Classroom:

We provide a blend of rigorous academics, project-based learning, and values-based education to nurture students of competence, conscience and compassion into the leaders of tomorrow who are ready to face the technical and ethical challenges of the future.

The learning experience will be personally focused on the needs of each student, centered on core liberal studies consistent with Jesuit principles of higher education.

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Student Research:

Our faculty are actively engaged in groundbreaking research and often involve undergraduate students in their lab work to enrich the student learning experience.

Career Outcomes:

Our programs open up a wide range of employment opportunities, including challenging and rewarding careers in such diverse fields such as:

  • Biomedical instrumentation
  • Defense
  • Health physics
  • Medicine
  • National space programs
  • Patent law
  • Pharmaceutical manufacturing
  • Secondary education – physics/mathematics
  • Semiconductor fabrication

Annual surveys of the University's newly minted graduates regularly show that our engineering graduates earn higher average starting salaries than any other undergraduate major.  This is a testament to our society's need for and confidence in the skills that our students have developed in their four years with us.

Accreditation:

Program Name: Computer Engineering (B.S.)
The Computer Engineering (B.S.) program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Program Criteria for Electrical, Computer, Communications, Telecommunication(s) and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.

Program Name: Electrical Engineering (B.S.) 
The Electrical Engineering program (B.S.) is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Program Criteria for Electrical, Computer, Communications, Telecommunication(s) and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.