Welcome to Dr. Buddhi Rai's Homepage

BUDDHI RAI      Associate Professor of Physics      University of Hawaii Maui College      STEM Division Interdisciplinary Program      310 W. Kaahumanu Ave, Kahului, HI 96732      Office: (808) 984-3207, Mobile: (269) 359-2466      Email: buddhi.rai@hawaii.edu      Website: https://buddhirai.com/

  Professional Preparation

• Ph.D. in Physics, Western Michigan University, 2012; Dissertation: Modeling Transmission of Photonic Crystal Waveguide Modes Enhanced by Kerr Nonlinearity;
  Advisor: Dr. Arthur McGurn; Coursework GPA: 4.0/4.0
• M.S. in Physics, Central Michigan University, 2005; Thesis: Quantum confinement of nanostructured systems; Advisor: Dr. Marco Fornari
• M.Sc. in Physics, Tribhuvan University, 1994; In lieu of Thesis: Solid-state theory
• B.Sc. in Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics, Tribhuvan University, 1991

  Appointments & Positions

• 8/2022 - present, Associate Professor of Physics, University of Hawaii Maui College, Kahului, Hawaii
• 8/2018 - 7/2022, Assistant Professor of Physics, University of Hawaii Maui College, Kahului, Hawaii
• 10/2013 - 7/2018, Faculty Instructor of Physics, University of Hawaii Maui College, Kahului, Hawaii
• 8/2006 - 9/2013, Doctoral Associate/Course Instr, Department of Physics Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
• 8/2012 - 9/2013, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Physics Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Kalamazoo, MI
• 7/2009 - 6/2012, Teaching Assistant Mentor, Department of Physics Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
• 8/2005 - 8/2006, Doctoral Teaching Associate, Department of Physics Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
• 6/2003 - 7/2005, Research Assistant, Department of Physics Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI
• 8/2002 - 5/2003, Teaching Assistant, Department of Physics Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI
• 8/1995 - 7/2002, Assistant Lecturer, Department of Physics Amrit Campus Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
• 8/1995 - 7/1999, Assistant Lecturer, Department of Science Padma Kanya Campus Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

  Program Development & Teaching Innovation

• Mentored student research and built global education partnerships blending science and culture.
• Created a travel-study program integrating high-altitude field science in Hawai‘i and Nepal.
• Led STEM Research Experience programs across platforms like PER, URE, PKII, B2B, and ‘IKE.
• Delivered MCAT and engineering-focused physics with emphasis on problem solving and applied concepts with medical and technical relevance.
• Built hybrid and online physics courses with interactive content and virtual lab simulations.
• Taught Engineering Physics and Statics of Materials with real-world design and analysis.
• Developed general physics and astronomy courses for non-science majors using active and inclusive teaching.
• Designed pre-college physics and lab courses to support STEM readiness and hands-on learning.
• Taught physics from fundamentals to quantum mechanics using real-world applications and active learning.
• Taught advanced undergraduate electromagnetics using modeling, coding, and active learning.
• Developed, re-designed, and taught vocational physics courses such as Technical Automotive Physics and Survey of Electrical Math & Physics.

  Research Directions

• Condensed matter and materials physics, and computational electromagnetics
• Simulation and modeling of Kerr nonlinear modes in photonic crystal waveguides and resonators using Difference Equation Theory, Finite-Difference Time-Domain and Plane Wave Expansion methods
• Quantum confinement of nanostructured systems
• Basic Physics Student Research Initiatives

  Products (To Be Updated)

• PER, URE, STEM and STEAM related activities (To Be Updated)
• Multiplicity of transmission coefficients in photonic crystal and split ring resonator waveguides with Kerr nonlinear impurities, Phys. Rev. B 91, 085113, February 2015. B Rai, and A R McGurn
• Interaction of Nonlinear Modes in 2D Photonic Crystal Waveguides of Off-channel Features (in preparation for publication)
• Modeling of a Photonic Crystal Waveguide Mode with the FDTD Method, The Hilltop Review, Vol. 4: Iss. 2, Article 9. Spring 2011, Western Michigan University: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/hilltopreview/vol4/iss2/9/
• Optical Bistability due to Difference Equation Waveguides in a 2D Photonic Crystal Circuit Mediated by Kerr Nonlinearity on the Waveguide Channel
• Kerr Nonlinear Modes in Photonic Crystal Waveguides with Off-Channel Features, B. Rai, G. Birkok, and A R McGurn, March Meeting of the American Physical Society, Boston, Massachusetts, February 29, 2012
• Simulation of the Nonlinear Modes in Photonic Crystal Waveguides. B Rai, G Birkok,and A R McGurn, at Japan Society for the Promotion of Science US Fellow Alumni Association, October 28, Bernhard Center, WMU
• CompuCell3D 2nd Annual Workshop - the summer school, June 2008, Simulated cell activity, presented talk on On-site Features of Photonic Crystal Waveguide, received CC3D Travel Grant, Indiana University Biocomplexity Institute, Bloomington, IN
• 8th Understanding Complex System Symposium, May 2008, Contributed oral/paper presentation: Interaction of two different waveguide modes in Kerr media photonic crystal, received UCS Travel Grant, University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, IL;

Last updated in December 2024