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by Allison Lennartz

Jamie (Stafford) Karthein ’17 is the kind of person you meet or read about and realize that there seems to be no end to her ability to learn and to impress others while doing it. A native of Nederland, Karthein graduated from Nederland High School in 2012. The ambition she displayed in high school as a member of the Student Council and a participant in the Academic Decathlon was only a glimpse of what she would go on to accomplish as an undergraduate and in her postgraduate studies. A recipient of the Mirabeau Presidential Scholarship, she earned her bachelor’s in both chemistry and physics and graduated from LU in 2017. She went on to obtain her Ph.D. in physics with a focus on theoretical nuclear physics from the University of Houston in 2021.

Karthein now lives in College Station where she works as a research assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and at the Cyclotron Institute at Texas A&M University. She says the primary focus of her research is to understand “the fundamental building blocks of our world.” Much of her work consists of studying the smallest particles, quarks and gluons, that are found inside of atoms and “make up everything around us.”

Because these particles are so small, they are not invisible to the naked eye and cannot be detected even with the most powerful microscopes that exist. So Karthein works with massive and sophisticated machines called particle accelerators, otherwise known as “atom smashers.” This kind of equipment is capable of creating atomic collisions so powerful, they result in a fluid state of matter that is known as “quark soup” or quark-gluon plasma. She says that this state of matter and the nearly 7 trillion-degree Fahrenheit temperatures resulting from these reactions are believed to mimic the exact conditions of the early universe.

She uses math and computer models to further evaluate the results of these collisions and to better understand the behavior of matter under such extreme conditions and states. She identifies one of the main goals of her research as being to use the information she observes and records to connect the behavior of matter in the extreme environments as it exists in deep space. As more facilities and particle accelerators are made available in the future, more astrophysical data can be collected and used by Karthein and her fellow researchers to “help the scientific community piece together these jigsaw puzzles and answer lingering questions about the most extreme and exotic phases of matter in the universe.”

In her time as an undergraduate student at LU, Karthein recalls that her interest and career in scientific research began early on. She recounts her experience working with former professor Jose Andino on a project that involved computational chemistry and a carbon-neutral fuel cycle. Along with the opportunity she was given to present her research at the American Chemical Society Meeting and National Conference on Undergraduate Research in 2014 and a conversation she had with Dr. Kevin Dodson about the academic career path, these experiences propelled her toward a lifelong pursuit of learning through scientific research. For the rest of her time as a Cardinal, she remained involved in research-related projects and worked closely with Xiangyang Lei and Bogdana Bahrim, professors in ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ’s chemistry and physics departments.

As she neared the end of her graduate studies in physics at the University of Houston, Karthein applied for and successfully obtained a research grant that enabled her to participate in a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Theoretical Physics at MIT. Though she left Houston early to begin her postdoctoral position, it wasn’t long before she returned to the city to speak about her research in the realm of extreme matter and the early universe’s primordial makeup at Quark Matter 2023, one of the largest international conferences for nuclear physics. She also continued working with students from the University of Houston, mentoring and advising those who were also interested in pursuing academic careers, attending graduate school, or learning to network and lead presentations at the conferences where Karthein had previously attended or presented her own research.

For now, Karthein plans to continue working at Texas A&M where she is building her own research group and hopes to serve as an effective teacher and mentor for her students. Though she is involved in the world of theoretical physics, she is excited to be part of the nuclear science and engineering program at A&M where she says “the future of nuclear power is being forged” and believes that the work being done there will contribute to a new kind of nuclear power that can help to establish energy independence.

When asked to reflect on her time at ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ, Karthein said, “I could never have anticipated the immense opportunities that I have had as a nuclear theorist.” Her research has led her all over the world to attend conferences and to work at some of the most well-known and prestigious institutions in the world, such as the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and Berkeley National Lab. She’s also been able to study at places like Yale and MIT to further her education. She reflects, “Along the way, I have been able to connect with so many important mentors in physics and in science, and I am so grateful for all the guidance that they have given me over the years, especially Dr. Claudia Ratti at the University of Houston, Jaki Noronha-Hostler at the University of Illinois-Champaign, and Dr. Anna Frebel and Dr. Angeliki Diane Rigos at MIT.”

If a student is interested in or already in the process of pursuing a STEM-related major, Karthein offers this counsel: “Always be curious. Always ask questions and seek answers.” She says that those who enjoy learning more about the universe and understanding how it works will likely find a fulfilling career in scientific research. If a student is particularly interested in the field of physics, she advises that they seek out professors at LU who work in that department to ask them more about their specific research and how they are contributing to a greater understanding of the world and how it works. “Perhaps you find your passion for research in one of these conversations,” she suggests. She also encourages students to find Dr. Tatiana Erukhimova on social media and to connect with her about the physics and engineering festival that takes place each year at Texas A&M. Erukhimova says that she helps organize and execute the festival as a way to “make physics accessible and enjoyable for everyone.” Through this event, she hopes to help students further their educational experience and strengthen their understanding of and sense of belonging to the STEM community.

For those who have found a passion for scientific research and who have decided to pursue a graduate degree to continue learning about their field of study, Karthein offers this insight: “I encourage you to never stop seeking what are truly the most interesting questions for you personally about how the universe works. That deep connection with your own contribution to fundamental science will ignite your passion for research and fuel you through graduate school and beyond.”