Frances Hellman
Encyclopedia
Frances Hellman is a physicist
at University of California, Berkeley
who studies the thermodynamic
properties of novel solid materials, especially thin film
semiconducting
, superconducting
, and magnetic materials. She is currently the chairwoman of the physics department and holds a dual appointment in the materials science and engineering department. She graduated from Dartmouth College
in 1978. Hellman obtained her Ph.D.
in applied physics
at Stanford University
in 1985, then served as a postdoctoral fellow at Bell Laboratories from 1985-1987. Before coming to Berkeley, she was a professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego
from 1987 to 2004. She moved to San Diego in 1987 to take a position as assistant professor of physics at UCSD. Hellman is a fellow of the American Physical Society
.
Frances is the daughter of Chris and Warren Hellman
of San Francisco, they are heirs to the Levi Strauss & Co.
blue jeans fortune and are part of the firm of Hellman & Friedman
LLC, a private investment company. The Hellman family are major donors to the University of California and maintain a close relationship with the administrative end of UC.
Frances Hellman married Robert Dynes, former UC President, in May 1998 and they divorced in 2006.
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
at University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
who studies the thermodynamic
Thermodynamics
Thermodynamics is a physical science that studies the effects on material bodies, and on radiation in regions of space, of transfer of heat and of work done on or by the bodies or radiation...
properties of novel solid materials, especially thin film
Thin film
A thin film is a layer of material ranging from fractions of a nanometer to several micrometers in thickness. Electronic semiconductor devices and optical coatings are the main applications benefiting from thin film construction....
semiconducting
Semiconductor
A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity due to electron flow intermediate in magnitude between that of a conductor and an insulator. This means a conductivity roughly in the range of 103 to 10−8 siemens per centimeter...
, superconducting
Superconductivity
Superconductivity is a phenomenon of exactly zero electrical resistance occurring in certain materials below a characteristic temperature. It was discovered by Heike Kamerlingh Onnes on April 8, 1911 in Leiden. Like ferromagnetism and atomic spectral lines, superconductivity is a quantum...
, and magnetic materials. She is currently the chairwoman of the physics department and holds a dual appointment in the materials science and engineering department. She graduated from Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in 1978. Hellman obtained her Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in applied physics
Applied physics
Applied physics is a general term for physics which is intended for a particular technological or practical use.It is usually considered as a bridge or a connection between "pure" physics and engineering....
at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1985, then served as a postdoctoral fellow at Bell Laboratories from 1985-1987. Before coming to Berkeley, she was a professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
from 1987 to 2004. She moved to San Diego in 1987 to take a position as assistant professor of physics at UCSD. Hellman is a fellow of the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
.
Frances is the daughter of Chris and Warren Hellman
Warren Hellman
F. Warren Hellman is a private equity investor and co-founder of Hellman & Friedman, a multi-billion dollar private equity firm...
of San Francisco, they are heirs to the Levi Strauss & Co.
Levi Strauss & Co.
Levi Strauss & Co. is a privately held American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's brand of denim jeans. It was founded in 1853 when Levi Strauss came from Buttenheim, Franconia, to San Francisco, California to open a west coast branch of his brothers' New York dry goods business...
blue jeans fortune and are part of the firm of Hellman & Friedman
Hellman & Friedman
Hellman & Friedman is a private equity firm, founded in 1984 by Warren Hellman and Tully Friedman, that makes investments primarily through leveraged buyouts and minority growth capital investments....
LLC, a private investment company. The Hellman family are major donors to the University of California and maintain a close relationship with the administrative end of UC.
Frances Hellman married Robert Dynes, former UC President, in May 1998 and they divorced in 2006.
External links
- Frances Hellman at University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...