Campus Directory

Division Physical & Biological Sciences Division

Department/College/Unit Chemistry & Biochemistry Department

Title Adjunct Professor

Affiliation Faculty

Faculty Type Adjunct Faculty

Primary Office Location Physical Sciences Building
334

Mail Stop Chemistry

Biography, Education and Training

Dr. Karla Galdamez received her Ph.D. in Physics from Tufts University, and a Bachelor of Science in Astrophysics from University of California at Berkeley.  She was Research Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley Physics Department, as well as Faculty Associate Researcher at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Space Systems Academic Group.  Currently she is Adjunct Professor at University of California, Santa Cruz, department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and an affiliate researcher at Zhang Lab.

Summary of Expertise

Dr. Galdamez applies theoretical physics, including mathematical semiclassical formalisms seldom used by chemists, to understand current molecular dynamics models and spin dynamics.  As a Research Fellow at University of California, Berkeley, she studied low temperature condensed matter systems, and initiated an ongoing dialogue with Dr. Henry Stapp, University of California, Berkeley, a theoretical physicist who argued for the significance of quantum mechanics to consciousness, leading to her interest in applying von Neumann's orthodox quantum theory to the study of consciousness.