Dr. Sebastian Fischetti

Education

Contact Information

Teaching Philosophy & Focus

At its heart, physics is about figuring out how the natural world works, from the largest clusters of galaxies to the smallest subatomic particles. Mastering this task requires an appreciation of the interconnectedness of different physical concepts; the creativity to come up with original interpretations of novel physical behavior; and collaboration with colleagues to develop and flesh out ideas.

To develop these skills in my students, I incorporate active learning methods, experiential learning, and peer-to-peer learning in my teaching. I especially try to de-emphasize traditional "plug-and-chug"-type thinking, favoring instead to develop students' creativity and ability to "think like a physicist" by simulating the kind of environment in which professional physicists work.

Courses Taught

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Research Areas of Interest

The two main pillars of our understanding of the universe are the theories of general relativity and quantum mechanics. The first describes the gravitational dynamics of massive objects like planets, stars, and galaxies, while the second is a framework for describing the behavior of extremely small systems. These two pillars are at odds with one another: taken together, they do not give a consistent description of the universe. One of the tasks of theoretical physics is to figure out how to reconcile this tension to obtain a single consistent theory of quantum gravity.

An understanding of quantum gravity is my primary research interest, which I pursue by focusing on black holes: objects massive enough but also dense enough that both general relativity and quantum mechanics are needed to describe their behavior. It turns out that describing black holes thoroughly requires drawing insight from many branches of physics, ranging from gravity to quantum information to condensed matter to high-energy physics.