Summary

My research is focused on developing a better understanding of neutrinos and searching for the existence of particle dark matter. I have an extensive background in data analysis as well as detector development and characterization. I also develop machine learning tools for a variety of applications, ranging from analyzing data from underground experiments to modelling student learning in physics courses.

I am also a strong advocate for open access resources and technologies for education and lead several projects in that direction, including the development of a python module for undergraduate labs (QExpy), an open source application for in-class responses and quizzes (Qlicker) and I have authored several open access textbooks. 

Employment

• Assistant Professor, Queen's University, 2015 - present
• Assistant Professor, University of South Dakota, 2013-2015
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2009-2013 

Education

• PhD, Queen's University, 2009
• M.Sc, Queen's University, 2006
• BSc(H) (SSP Physics), Queen's University, 2003

Grants (as sole PI)

• NSERC Discovery (2018-2023) - $225,000
• NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement (2018-2021) - $120,000
• CFI John R. Evans Leaders' Fund (2017-2022) - $625,000 (includes in-kind)
• Queen's Open Access Work group (2018-2019) - $12,500 (with dept. matching)
• Centre for Teaching and Learning Education Enhancement grant (2017-2018) - $12,000 (with dept. matching)

Teaching

• PHYS 104/106, Calculus-based introductory physics, Queen's University, 2017 - present
• PHYS 250/ENPH 252, Management of Experimental data and statistics, Queen's University, 2016 - present
• PHYS 841, Module on semi-conductor detectors for rare event searches, Queen's University, 2016, 2018
• PHYS 451, Classical Mechanics, University of South Dakota, 2015
• PHYS 751, Theoretical Mechanics, University of South Dakota, 2014
• PHYS 492/592, Numerical Methods for Physics, University of South Dakota, 2014
• PHYS 790, Graduate seminar, University of South Dakota, 2013 

Recent Publications

Technical and limited authorship papers:

• R.D. Martin, Q. Cai, T. Garrow, C. Kapahi, QExpy: A python-3 module to support undergraduate physics laboratories, SoftwareX 10, 100273 (2019)
• S. Mertens, A. Hegai, D. C. Radford, N. Abgrall, Y. -D. Chan, R. D. Martin, A. W. P. Poon, C. Schmitt, Characterization of High Purity Germanium Point Contact Detectors with Low Net Impurity Concentration, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 921, p81-88,  (PDF, 757 KB) , (2019)
• P. Barton, M. Amman, R.D. Martin, K. Vetter, Ultra-low noise mechanically cooled germanium detector, Nucl. Instrum. Meth. A, 812 17-23 (2016)
•  S. Mertens, K. Dolde, M. Korzeczek, F. Glueck, S. Groh, R. D. Martin, A. W. P. Poon, M. Steidl, Wavelet Approach to Search for Sterile Neutrinos in Tritium β-Decay Spectra, Phys. Rev. D 91, 042005, (PDF, 606 KB) , (2015)
• N. Mirabolfathi, M. Amman, D. Faiez, P.N. Luke, R.D. Martin, J.A. Rolla, B. Sadoulet, B.Serfass, K.Vetter, Neganov Luke Phonon Amplification in P-type Point Contact Detectors, Journal of Low Temperature Physics 176, 209 (2014)
• R. D. Martin, M. Amman, Y. D. Chan, J. A. Detwiler, J. C. Loach, Q. Looker, P. N. Luke, A. W. P. Poon, J. Qian, K. Vetter, H. Yaver, Determining the Drift Time of Charge Carriers in P-Type Point-Contact HPGe Detectors, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 678, p98-104, (2012)
• B. Beltran, H. Bichsel, B. Cai, H. Deng, J. A. Formaggio, S. Habib, A. L. Hallin, A. Hime, M. Huang, C. Kraus, H. R. Leslie, J. C. Loach, R. Martin, S. McGee, M. L. Miller, B. Monreal, J. Monroe, N. S. Oblath, S. J. M. Peeters, A. W. P. Poon, G. Prior, K. Rielage, R. G. H. Robertson, M. W. E. Smith, L. C. Stonehill, N. Tolich, T. Van Wechel, H. Wan Chan Tseung, J. Wendland, J. F. Wilkerson, A. Wright , Full simulation of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory proportional counters, New J. Phys. 13 073006, (PDF, 6.27 MB),  (2011)

LEGEND

• N. Abgrall et al. (The LEGEND Collaboration), The Large Enriched Germanium Experiment for Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay (LEGEND), AIP Conference Proceedings 1894, 020027, (PDF, 345 KB) (2017)

Majorana Demonstrator

• S. I. Alvis et. al. (The Majorana Collaboration), A Search for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay in 76Ge with 26 kg-yr of Exposure from the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. C, (2019)
•  S. I. Alvis et al. (The Majorana Collaboration), Multi-site event discrimination for the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, Phys. Rev. C 99, 065501,(PDF, 160MB), (2019)
•  S. I. Alvis et al. (The Majorana Collaboration), Search for Tri-Nucleon Decay in the Majorana Demonstrator, Phys. Rev. D 99, 072004, (PDF, 592 KB), (2019)
•  S. I. Alvis et al. (The Majorana Collaboration), First Limit on the Direct Detection of Lightly Ionizing Particles for Electric Charge as Low as e/1000 with the Majorana Demonstrator, Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 211804,  (PDF, 2.37 MB), (2018)
• C. E. Aalseth et al. (The Majorana Collaboration), Search for Zero-Neutrino Double Beta Decay in 76Ge with the Majorana Demonstrator, Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 132502,  (PDF, 2.37MB) (2018)
• N. Abgrall et al. (The Majorana Collaboration), The Processing of Enriched Germanium for the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR and R&D for a Possible Future Ton-Scale Ge-76 Double-Beta Decay Experiment, Nuclear Inst. and Methods in Physics Research A, 877, p.314-322, , (2018)
• N. Abgrall et al. (The Majorana Collaboration), The Majorana Demonstrator calibration system, Nuclear Inst. and Methods in Physics Research A, 872, p.16-22,  (PDF, 2.91 MB) , (2017)
• N. Abgrall et al. (The Majorana Collaboration), New limits on Bosonic Dark Matter, Solar Axions, Pauli Exclusion Principle Violation, and Electron Decay from the Majorana Demonstrator, Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 161801, (PDF, 185 KB), (2017)
• N. Abgrall et al. (The Majorana Collaboration), Muon Flux Measurements at the Davis Campus of the Sanford Underground Research Facility with the Majorana Demonstrator Veto System, Astroparticle Physics 93, p.70-75, (PDF, 2.26 MB ) , (2017)
• N. Abgrall et al. (The Majorana Collaboration), Search for Pauli Exclusion Principle Violating Atomic Transitions and Electron Decay with a P-type Point Contact Germanium Detector, European Physics Journal C 676, p.619, (PDF, 335 KB), (2016)
• N. Abgrall et al. (The Majorana Collaboration), The Majorana Demonstrator Radioassay Program, Nuclear Inst. and Methods in Physics Research A, 828, p.22-36, (PDF, 6.28 MB), (2016)
• N. Abgrall et al. (The Majorana Collaboration), High voltage testing for the MAJORANA Demonstrator, Nuclear Inst. and Methods in Physics Research A, 823, p.83-90, (PDF, 3.01 MB) , (2016)
• N. Abgrall et al. (The Majorana Collaboration), The Majorana Parts Tracking Database, Nuclear Inst. and Methods in Physics Research A, 779, p.52-62, (PDF, 543 KB) , (2015)
• N. Abgrall et al. (The Majorana Collaboration), The Majorana Demonstrator Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay Experiment, Advances in High Energy Physics, 2014, 365432, (PDF, 3.42 MB) , (2014)
• E. Aguayo et al. (The Majorana Collaboration), Characteristics of Signals Originating Near the Lithium-Diffused N+ Contact of High Purity Germanium P-Type Point Contact Detectors, Nuclear Inst. and Methods in Physics Research A, 701, p.176-185, (PDF, 356 KB), (2013)

SNO+

• M. Anderson et al. (The SNO+ Collaboration), Search for invisible modes of nucleon decay in water with the SNO+ detector, Phys. Rev. D, 99 032008,  (PDF, 537 KB), (2019)
• M. Anderson et al. (The SNO+ Collaboration), Measurement of the ⁸B Solar Neutrino Flux in SNO+ with Very Low Backgrounds, Phys. Rev. D 99, 012012,  (PDF, 430 KB) , (2019)

NEWS-G

• Q. Arnaud et al. (The NEWS-G Collaboration), Precision laser-based measurements of the single electron response of spherical proportional counters for the NEWS-G light dark matter search experiment , Phys. Rev. D 99, 102003 (2019)<
• Q. Arnaud et al. (The NEWS-G Collaboration), First results from the NEWS-G direct dark matter search experiment at the LSM, Astroparticle Physics, 97 p.54,  (PDF, 3.33 MB) (2018)

SNO

• B. Aharmin et al. (The SNO Collaboration), Measurement of neutron production in atmospheric neutrino interactions at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, Phys. Rev. D 99, 112007, (PDF, 1.61 MB), (2019)
• B. Aharmin et al. (The SNO Collaboration), Constraints on Neutrino Lifetime from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, Phys. Rev. D 98 112013,  (PDF, 1.60 MB) , (2018)
• B. Aharmin et al. (The SNO Collaboration), Tests of Lorentz invariance at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, Phys. Rev. D 98 112013, (PDF, 2.01 MB) , (2018)
• B. Aharmin et al. (The SNO Collaboration), The search for neutron-antineutron oscillations at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, Phys. Rev. D 96 092005, (PDF, 759 KB), (2017)

MINER

• G. Agnolet et al. (The MINER Collaboration), Background Studies for the MINER Coherent Neutrino Scattering Reactor Experiment,  Nuclear Inst. and Methods in Physics Research A, 853, p. 53-60, (PDF, 7.73 MB) (2017)

COHERENT

• D. Akimov et al., Coherent Scattering Investigations at the Spallation Neutron Source: a Snowmass White Paper, Snowmass white paper proposing the COHERENT experiment, (PDF, 2.46 MB) (2013)