Education
Ph.D., Physics
University of Victoria
BSc, MSc, Physics
University of Waterloo
Professor

Ph.D., Physics
University of Victoria
BSc, MSc, Physics
University of Waterloo
Gravitation, theoretical extensions of general relativity and experimental tests of
                                 those theories
Astroparticle physics, cosmic background radiation, Olbers' paradox and dark matter
Cosmology, dark energy, Einstein's cosmological "constant", Mach's principle

 James Overduin is a theorist in the areas of gravitation, cosmology, astronomy and
                        high-energy physics. He is particularly interested in extensions of General Relativity,
                        attempts to incorporate gravity into the Standard Model of particle physics, and in
                        ways to test those attempts through observation and experiment. He has also worked
                        extensively on cosmic background radiation at all wavelengths, focusing on its implications
                        for cosmic evolution (Olbers' paradox and the intergalactic medium) as well as its
                        potential as a dark-matter detector. Dr. Overduin is also a specialist in dark energy
                        (a.k.a. Einstein's cosmological constant), on which he has co-authored a book with
                        Helge Kragh (The Weight of the Vacuum, Springer Briefs in Physics, 2014). Most recently,
                        he has begun to investigate ways to improve the effectiveness of undergraduate physics
                        education through innovative teaching demonstrations. Much of his research is carried
                        out with undergraduate students (see  ).