Dr. Kurtze earned a B.S. in Engineering Physics and a B.A. in Mathematics from Lehigh University, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from Cornell University. He did postdoctoral research at Carnegie-Mellon University, and taught at Clarkson University and North Dakota State University before coming to Saint Joseph's in 2001. He has held visiting appointments at Bell Laboratories, the Institute for Theoretical Physics at UCSB, NASA Lewis, and the University of Arizona.
Dr. Kurtze's research is in statistical physics, the theory of pattern formation, and, most recently, oceanography. He has published papers on the formation of patterns in solidification, crystallization, flame fronts, and fluid flow, as well as on traffic jams, washboard roads, and the formation of ridges on windblown sand. He is currently working on some general aspects of pattern formation, and on the dynamics of the thermohaline circulation in the Atlantic Ocean and its effects on climate.
