DAMIEN A. EASSON

Department of Physics & School of Earth and Space Exploration & Beyond Center
Arizona State University, 522 Goldwater Building, PO Box 871504, Tempe, AZ
Phone: (480) 965-0860, Fax: (480) 965-7954
Email: easson@asu.edu

POSITIONS

• Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Arizona State University, September 2009-present.
• Project Researcher, Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, University of Tokyo, September 2008-present.
• Research Associate, Department of Mathematical Sciences & Centre for Particle Theory, Durham University, October 2005- October 2008.
• Research Associate, Department of Physics, Syracuse University, September 2003-August 2005.
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Physics Department, McGill University, September 2001- August 2003.

EDUCATION

• Brown University, Providence, RI, Ph.D., Physics, 2002.
Dissertation Title: M-Theory and Superstring Cosmology: Brane Gases in the Early Universe and Nonsingular Gravity
Thesis Advisor: Robert H. Brandenberger.

• Brown University, Providence, RI, M.S., Physics, 1998.

• Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY, B.S., Triple Major (cum laude): Physics/Mathematics/Astronomy, 1996.

ACADEMIC HONORS AND DISTINCTIONS

JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists, 2009 - 2011.
Sigma Xi, Brown University, 2001-present.
Lucy Kellogg English Prize, for physics, Vassar College, 1996.
Departmental honors: physics, mathematics and astronomy, Vassar College, 1996.
GAANN Fellowship, Department of Physics, Brown University, 1998-2001.
NASA Space Grant Fellowship, Department of Physics, Brown University, summer 1997.
Physics Internship, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vassar College, 1994-1996.
URSI Fellowship, Undergraduate Research Summer Institute, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vassar College, summer 1994 and summer 1995.
REU Fellowship, Research Education for Undergraduates, Department of Physics, Penn State University, summer 1993.

TEACHING

Lecturer, "General Relativity," PHY523, Arizona State University, Spring and Fall 2011.
Tutor, "Core Mathematics A", MATH1012, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Durham University, Spring and Fall 2007.
Tutor, "Single Mathematics B", MATH1571, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Durham University, Fall 2005-Fall 2006.
Lecturer, "Introduction to Quantum Mechanics," PHY567, Syracuse University, Spring 2004 and 2005.
Lecturer, "The Elegant Universe: An Informal Introduction to Superstring Theory and Cosmology," PH905-1B, Brown University, summer 2003 and 2005.
Lecturer, "Cosmology: space and time," Brown University, summer 2001 and summer 2002.
Teaching Assistant, Calculus, Summer school program, Brown University, Summer 2000.
Grader, (PH 1, 5, 22, 207, 210, 310), Department of Physics, Brown University, 1997-2001.
Tutor, physics and mathematics, public high schools, Providence, Rhode Island, USA, 1998-2001.
Teacher, Physics of billiards, Berrington Middle School, Berrington, Rhode Island, USA, 2001.
Teaching Assistant, physics and astronomy (PH 1, 4, 22), Department of Physics, Brown University,
1996-1997.
Physics Lab Assistant, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vassar College, 1993-1994.
Assistant Observatory Director, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vassar College, 1993-1994.

CONFERENCES AND INVITED TALKS

"Degenerate observables in string inflationary models," Focus week on String Cosmology, IPMU, Japan, October 4-8 2010.
"Fundamental physics of inflation and CMB observations," COSMO/CosPA 2010, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, September 27 - October 1 2010.
"Extra Dimensions and the Cosmic Microwave Background," Unsolved Problems in Gravity, Beyond Center, Arizona State University, January 18-20, 2010.
"Gravitational Couplings in DBI Inflation," String Theory and Cosmology QGC2009, Daejeon, Korea, September 24-26 2009.
"The Microphysics of Inflation," University of Tokyo, Tokyo, April 23, 2009.
"Modeling the Universe at Low and High Energies," The Royal Society, London, April 16, 2009.
"Searching for the Microphysics of the Inflationary Universe," University of Geneva, April 6, 2009.
"The Microphysics of the Inflationary Universe," Arizona State University, March 23, 2009.
"String Theory and the Inflationary Universe," IPMU, Tokyo, February 26, 2009.
"The Eta Problem: Inflation with Hubble mass inflaton,," “Progress in Particles Physics 2008”,YITP, Kyoto University, February 16 - 19, 2009.
"Recent progress in brane inflation: solving the eta problem," IPMU, Tokyo, January 28, 2009.
"Cosmology of Moving Branes and Spinflation," "Dark Energy in the Universe,"8th RESCEU-DENET,
joint meeting and summer school, Aomori, Japan August 30 - September 2, 2008.
"Workshop on Cosmological Frontiers in Fundamental Physics," APC, Paris, May 19-23, 2008.
"Cosmology from Spinning Branes," Nordita, Stockholm, March 26, 2008.
"Accelerating the Universe," Nordita, Stockholm, March 25, 2008.
"Cosmology from Spinning Branes," IPMU, Tokyo, March 14, 2008.
"The Inflationary Universe from String Theory," APC, Paris, February 26, 2008.
"String Theory and the Inflationary Universe," Upssala University, February 22, 2008.
"The Very Early Universe," Cambridge University, UK, 17-220 December 2007.
“Spinflation,” “Cosmo-07: International Workshop on Particle Physics and the Early Universe,” University of Sussex in Brighton, UK, 21-25 August 2007.
“Cosmology & Strings: A Workshop on Cosmology as a Testing Ground for String Theory,”
Miramare, Trieste, Italy, July 9 - 13, 2007.
“Cycling Branes in Warped Throats,” PASCOS-07, Imperial College, London, UK, July 1-8, 2007.
"String Theory and the Inflationary Universe," King’s College London, July 2, 2007.
"The New Cosmological Paradigm and Beyond," York University, Toronto, Canada, June 18, 2007.
"A Twirling Brane World ," University of Nottingham, June 5, 2007.
"Origins of Dark Energy: Conference and Workshop,"
McMaster U. & Perimeter Institute, Canada, May 14-20, 2007.
"Twirling Branes Stuck in the Throat," Imperial College, May 8, 2007.
"The Accelerating Universe from New Physics ," University of Lancaster, December 18, 2006.
"Modified Gravity, IR Curvature Bounds and Cosmology ," University of Sheffield, November 30, 2006.
"New Physics and the Accelerating Universe," Queen Mary, University of London, November 9, 2006.
"Flux Compactifications and Brane Inflation," Durham University, October 30, 2006.
"The Accelerating Universe, Modified Gravity and a Minimal Curvature Hypothesis,"
"String Theory and Gauge Theory: Past Present and Future Workshop,"
Perimeter Institute, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, October 10-20, 2006.
"Brane-World Gravity: Progress and Problems,"
Meeting and Workshop, University of Portsmouth, September 18– September 29, 2006.
"Cosmological Acceleration and a Minimal Curvature Conjecture,"
Cosmo-UK 2006, St. Martins College, Ambleside, August 29 – August 31, 2006.
"Puzzles of the Early and Late Universe,"
University of Manchester, August 22, 2006.
"Cambridge-Mitchell Texas Conference: Time Dependent Backgrounds and the Cosmic Singularity in String and M-theory," CMS, Cambridge University, August 20 – July 26, 2006.
"Cosmic Acceleration from a New Fundamental Principle,"
22nd IAP Colloquium/Workshop, IAP, Paris, June 26-July 13, 2006.
"WMAP Constraints on Inflationary Models," IPPP, Durham University, April 2006.
"Progress and Puzzles of Modern Cosmology," University at Buffalo, January 12, 2006.
"Can Modified Gravity Describe the Accelerating Universe?," European Dark Energy Network, LPNHE, Paris, France, December 8, 2005.
"Is Modified Gravity Responsible for the Accelerating Universe?," Durham University, October 21, 2005.
"Cosmology, String Theory and Why We Live in a Three-Dimensional Universe," University of Melbourne, April 8, 2005.
"Cosmology, String Theory and Why We Live in a Three-Dimensional Universe," Bryn Mawr College, February 14, 2005.
"4th Northeast String Cosmology Meeting," Columbia University, December 10, 2004.
"Gravitational Alternatives to Dark Energy," University of Wisconsin Madison, November 5, 2004.
"Modified Gravity and Cosmic Acceleration," Cosmo-04: International Workshop on Particle Physics and the Early Universe, Toronto, Canada, September 17-21, 2004.
"General Modifications of Gravity and Cosmic Acceleration," Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, September 15, 2004.
"Strings and the Real World" and "Cosmic Acceleration: Dark Energy or New Gravitational Physics," Aspen Center for Theoretical Physics, Aspen, Colorado, August 15 - September 12, 2004.
"Cosmic Acceleration and Modified Gravity Models," "PASCOS-04 and Nath Fest," Northeastern University, Boston, MA, August 16-22, 2004. "Modified Gravitational Theories," Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 13, 2004.
"String Theory and Cosmology, " Texas A & M University, March 14-17, 2004.
"Superstring Cosmology," Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, August 04, 2003 - December 19, 2003.
"String cosmology and brane gases," Columbia University, New York, NY, USA, November 2002.
"Brane gas approach to string cosmology," Perimeter Institute, Waterloo, ON, Canada, September 2002.
"Brane gas cosmology," Physics Department, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, October 2001.
"Brane gas cosmology," "Cosmo-01: International Workshop on Particle Physics and the Early Universe," Rovaniemi, Finland, August 30 - September 4. "M-theory and Cosmology," Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK, August 21-25, 2001
"Loitering phase in brane gas cosmology," Oxford University, Oxford, UK, August 2001.
"Nonsingular dilaton cosmology," Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, BC, Canada, August 2000.
"The limiting curvature hypothesis and nonsingular dilaton gravity," "Workshop on String Cosmology," Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, July 24 - August 4, 2000.
"The interface of cosmology with string/M-theory," Department of Physics, Brown University, March 2000.
"Cosmo-99: International Workshop on Particle Physics and the Early Universe," Triste, Italy, September 22- October 2, 1999.

ACTIVITIES

Seminar Organizer, Durham University, Department of Mathematical Sciences, HEP Seminar Series, October 2006 - 2008
Science Consultant to the Directors of the Institute for Advanced Study, Durham University, United Kingdom 2007
Board of Studies postdoc representative, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Durham University, Fall 2007-Fall 2008
Grant Reviewer, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), 2007-present
Member, American Physical Society
Referee, Classical and Quantum Gravity, European Physics Letters, General Relativity and Gravitation, International Journal of Modern Physics D,
Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, Journal of High Energy Physics, Journal of Mathematical Physics, Physics Letters B, Physical Review D, Physical Review Letters
Reviewer, Mathematical Reviews
Organizer, Annual Syracuse/Cornell COSY Meeting, 2004
Organizer, Syracuse University, Joint Relativity/High Energy Theory/Cosmology Seminar Series 2004