Laurence B. Lurio

Contact

Laurence B. Lurio
Presidential Teaching Professor 
Department of Physics
815-753-6470
llurio@niu.edu

B.A. Columbia University (1985)
Ph.D. Harvard University (1992)
Postdoctoral Fellowships: Rennselaer (1992) MIT (1995)

Laurence B. Lurio

My research program focuses on condensed matter physics; in particular, x-ray-based studies of the structure and dynamics of soft matter and biomaterials. Recent systems that have been of interest are diffusion within concentrated protein suspensions and the structure and self-organization of phospholipid membranes. I am one of the pioneers of using coherent x-ray scattering to measure dynamics via the technique of x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy. This technique measures the thermal motion of materials via time correlation of sequences of coherent x-ray scattering images.

Honors Faculty Fellow 

As an Honors Faculty Fellow, Professor Lurio will teach a seminar in the University Honors Program. The Honors Faculty Fellowship program identifies faculty eager to teach innovative, exciting seminars of interest to highly motivated students from across the university.

  • Spring 2023-2024 - Next Big Thing or Just a Flop: Prospects for Quantum Computers in the 21st Century
  • Spring 2021-2022 - Physics of Sports