Jon Pelz

Professor and Vice Chair for Graduate Studies, Department of Physics

Ohio State University

Jonathan (Jon) Pelz received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Berkeley in 1987. After postdoctoral research at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Pelz joined the Ohio State University Physics faculty in 1990. Pelz’s experimental condensed matter physics research focusses on nanometer-scale electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of surfaces, interfaces, and device structures, primarily using scanned probe techniques and electronic modelling. Pelz is currently Vice Chair of Graduate Studies for the OSU Physics Department, which includes chairing the Physics Graduate Admissions Committee. He was also the co-founder of the OSU M.S-to-Ph.D. Physics Bridge Program in 2013 and has been its Co-Director since its creation. In fall 2016, the OSU Physics Dept. hosted one of the first IGEN two-part Graduate Admissions Workshops developed by Julie Posselt and Casey Miller. As a result of those workshops, the OSU Physics Dept. and the OSU Chemistry Dept both adopted more holistic admissions procedures, with each developing its own admissions rubric.