Rana Ashkar Ph.D.
Rana Ashkar, Ph.D.
Rana is an Assistant Professor in the Physics Department at Virginia Tech with a research expertise that spans experimentation and theory across biophysics, soft matter physics, and scattering methods. During her doctoral studies at Indiana University, under the guidance of Prof. Roger Pynn, she combined experimental and theoretical studies to develop a novel neutron interferometry approach for investigating materials in nanoconfinement. Her doctoral work received the Esther L. Kinsey dissertation award. After Ph.D., she held a joint postdoctoral position at the University of Maryland and NIST where she investigated nanoscale dynamics of polymeric and lipidic materials implicated in function, using cutting-edge neutron scattering methods. In 2015, she received the Clifford G. Shull Fellowship from Oak Ridge National Lab where she led a biomembrane project to probe the dynamic responses and topographic effects in biomimetic lipid membranes using novel experimental and computational approaches. Shortly after, she joined the physics faculty at Virginia Tech where she continues to develop state-of-the-art approaches to understand the physical principles underlying the complex behavior of biological and soft materials with applications in materials science, synthetic biology, and nanotechnology.
Professional Appointments
| Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Virginia Tech | 2018 – present |
| Clifford G. Shull Fellow, Oak Ridge National Lab | 2015 – 2017 |
| Postdoctoral Scholar, National Institute of Standards and Technology & University of Maryland at College Park | 2012 – 2015 |
Education
| Ph.D. in Experimental Condensed Matter Physics Indiana University, Bloomington, IN (advisor: Prof. R. Pynn) |
2012 |
| Masters in Theoretical Particle Physics American University of Beirut, Lebanon (advisor: Prof. A. Chamseddine) |
2007 |
| B.Sc. in Physics “Summa Cum Laude” Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon |
2003 |
Select Awards, Honors & Leadership
| Alumni Award for Excellence in Graduate Academic Advising, Virginia Tech | 2024 |
| Chair of the APS Committee on the Status of Women in Physics | 2024 |
| Elected member-at-large, APS-DBIO Executive Committee | 2021 – 2024 |
| Elected member-at-large, SNS/HFIR User Group Executive Committee | 2021 – 2023 |
| Named Soft Matter Emerging Investigator, Soft Matter Journal | 2021 |
| Invited member, Penn State Neutron Science Advisory Council | 2020 |
| Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Award, Oak Ridge Associated Universities | 2019 |
| Chair of the American Physical Society Climate Site Visits Program | 2019 – 2020 |
| Founder and Chair of the Women in Neutron Sciences Group, Oak Ridge National Lab | 2016 – 2017 |
| Clifford G. Shull Fellowship, Oak Ridge National Lab | 2015 – 2017 |
| Esther L. Kinsley Ph.D. Dissertation Award, Indiana University | 2013 |
| 11th Surface X-ray and Neutron Scattering Fellowship Award | 2010 |
