Ian Appelbaum, who was promoted to the rank of Professor, joined UMD Physics in 2008. His experimental and theoretical research focuses on semiconductor device physics including spin-polarized electron transport and relaxation mechanisms, electronic properties of two-dimensional semiconductors, and novel phenomena in topological materials. He received his Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and won the 2011 Outstanding Young Scientist award of the Maryland Academy of Sciences.

Zackaria Chacko, who was promoted to the rank of Professor, is a theoretical physicist and a founding member of the Maryland Center for Fundamental Physics (MCFP). His research interests lie in elementary particle physics, the field that studies the fundamental constituents of matter and their interactions. The primary focus of Professor Chacko's research is the study of new theories that can explain some of the puzzles of the current Standard Model of particle physics, and that can be tested by current or upcoming experiments. He received his PhD at this University, where he received the Pelczar Award for Outstanding Graduate Study.

Chris Jarzynski, currently a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Director of IPST, will hold a joint appointment with Physics. He received his PhD in physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and works on nonequilibrium behavior and computational methods for estimating thermodynamic properties. He is a Distinguished University Professor, and was recently elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Lennard Fisk, ​a member of the National Academy of Sciences and former NASA Associate Administrator for Space Science and Applications, has been appointed a College Park Professor. He received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 1992 and its Exceptional Public Service Medal in 2008. He is the Thomas M. Donahue Distinguished University Professor of Space Science at the University of Michigan.