Michael Falvo | North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

Instructor of Physics

Durham

Joined NCSSM in August 2022

Mike Falvo joined NCSSM in August of 2022 as a physics instructor on the Durham campus. Prior to NCSSM, he was a research professor in the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Physics & Astronomy where he taught and conducted research for over 20 years. Mike taught a range of courses at UNC-Chapel Hill, including introductory physics, as well as courses in material science, nanotechnology, and biophysics. He also created several courses, including a First Year Seminar on Nanoscience which he developed with the help of a grant he won from the NSF. He has also mentored dozens of student research projects, several of which resulted in first-author student publications in top research journals. His research resulted in publications on topics ranging from nanoelectronics to cell biophysics in journals including Science, Nature, and PNAS. Mike earned his bachelor’s in physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, and his master’s and doctoral degrees in physics at UNC-Chapel HIll. A proud Durhamite, he and his wife have lived in the Bull City for over 20 years, where they raised their son and wrangled several cats and dogs. As a card-carrying generalist, Mike enjoys mountain biking, bird-watching, banjo, gardening, and trail running, all of which he enthusiastically pursues with middling success.