Physics Transfer Summit 2026
The Physics Transfer Summit is designed for community college and lower-division students exploring pathways in physics, research, graduate study, and related careers. Through faculty talks and student panels, attendees gain insight into key areas of modern physics and academic trajectories, with speakers drawn from leading universities and research institutions. Connect with fellow physics students from UCLA and community colleges all over Southern California.
*Registration is now closed*
Now Also Featuring
Lunchtime Keynote Speaker
Assistant Professor of Physics, USC
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Biophysics/Neurobiology
Peter J. Chung is the Robert D. Beyer (‘81) Early Career Chair in the Natural Sciences and Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Southern California, with courtesy appointments in Chemistry, Biomedical Engineering, and Medical Biophysics. He was previously a Kadanoff-Rice Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Chicago studying proteins involved in Parkinson’s disease. He received his PhD in physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara and undergraduate degrees in physics and materials engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.
Graduate Students (UCLA)
Gael Avila
Experimental Particle Physics
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Physics, B.A. —
UC Berkeley
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Jonah Hyman
Astroparticle Theory​
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Physics, A.B. —
Princeton University
Joshua Lee
Condensed Matter Physics/Ultrafast Physics
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Physics, B.S. —
UCLA
Diego Padilla
Theoretical High-Energy Nuclear & Particle Physics
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Physics, B.S. —
Florida International University
Jacob Schagene
Neurophysics/Biophysics
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Physics, B.S. —
University of Louisville
Luke Sellers
Nuclear & Theoretical Particle Physics
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Physics, B.S. —
UC Santa Barbara
Transfer Panelists
Sara Saib
Condensed Matter
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Physics, B.A. —
UC Berkeley
Sara is a third-year PhD student in condensed matter physics at UCLA in Stuart Brown’s laboratory. Her research focuses on experimental studies of magnetism using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). She is currently investigating how strain-induced lattice distortions modify magnetic phases in correlated materials. She is a community college transfer student from Santa Barbara City College and transferred to UC Berkeley, where she earned a B.A. in Physics. She is committed to transfer student advocacy and has helped organize programming for transfer students at UCLA.
Tessa Temme
Hardware Engineer @ Space X
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Physics, B.S. —
UCLA
Tessa is a former Los Angeles Pierce College transfer and a 2024 graduate of the UCLA Department of Physics. During her undergraduate career, she was actively involved in Women+ in Physical Sciences and re-established Sigma Pi Sigma, the Physics and Astronomy Honor Society. She also conducted research in condensed matter physics with two lab groups, including participation in a summer REU program through STROBE. Tessa now works at SpaceX as an Avionics Hardware Reliability Engineer supporting the Rocket and Capsule programs.