Physics Department Hires Neuroscientist, Biophysicist

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Woodrow Shew

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The physics department in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences introduces assistant professor Woodrow L. Shew. Shew came to the University of Arkansas from the National Institutes of Health, where he conducted postdoctoral research in neuroscience since 2006.

“Dr. Shew has done great work on several diverse areas of physics,” said Julio Gea-Banacloche, professor of physics and chair of the department. “His current interest in neuroscience and biophysics is something that a lot of our students find really exciting.”

The experiments in Shew’s lab currently focus on the biophysics of the brain including neural network dynamics, neural phase transitions, and cerebral blood flow dynamics. Previous studies examined control of chaos, the geodynamo, bubbles, and other complex fluid dynamics. While researching fluid turbulence, Shew invented a device, called a “smart particle.” The device, which was featured on the cover of Physical Review Letters and in a Physics Today article, was patented in 2008 and is now manufactured by a French company.

“The University of Arkansas is a wonderful place for those of us with multidisciplinary research passions,” said Shew. “I have been warmly welcomed by the faculty and administration, and I have been very impressed by an enthusiastic bunch of students who are already driving my research to new frontiers. I’m having a blast.”

Shew has taught, tutored and mentored both graduate and undergraduate students in physics and mathematics. He has published numerous articles on varying research topics and has been an invited speaker at conferences and universities across North America, South America and Europe.

His research earned him the National Institutes of Health Fellow Award for Research Excellence and the National Science Foundation International Research Fellowship. Shew also received a postdoctoral fellowship from École Normale Supérieure de Lyon in France, where he conducted research from 2004 to 2006.

Shew graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in physics from Wooster College in Ohio (1998). He holds a doctorate in physics from the University of Maryland (2004). His appointment began in January.