Alfonso Castillo

Graduate Student

Education

• M.Sc. in Physics, The University of Chicago, Department of Physics (2024); Advisor: Prof. Giulia Galli
• M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, School of Chemistry (2018); Advisor: Prof. Roberto Zenit; Thesis: Sedimentation of a rotating sphere in a viscoelastic fluid
• B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, School of Chemistry (2015); Advisor: Prof. Modesto Javier Cruz Gómez; Thesis: Synthesis of a primary soybean oil-based plasticizer

Professional Affiliations

• Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
• American Physical Society (APS)

Areas of Interest

• Spin qubit dynamics in 2D materials
• Magnetic resonance with spin defects
• Ab initio and classical molecular dynamics
• Experimental non-Newtonian fluid mechanics
• Rheology of viscoelastic fluids

Experience

• 2021-present: Graduate Student, Department of Physics, University of Chicago
• 2015-2018: Graduate Researcher, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
• 2015: Summer Intern, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Resymat S.A. de C.V.
• 2014-2015: Undergraduate Researcher, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico

Awards and Distinctions

• Robert R. McCormick Fellowship, Graduate Program, The University of Chicago (2021)
• Full-Tuition Merit Scholarship, Graduate Program, The University of Chicago (2021)
• Alfonso Caso Medal Nominee,Graduate Program, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (2018)
• Graduate Fellowship, Graduate Program, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia, Mexico (2015-2017)

Publications (Google Scholar)

• Alfonso Castillo, Gustavo R Perez-Lemus, Mykyta Onizhuk, and Giulia Galli
  Probing aqueous interfaces with spin defects
  J. Chem. Phys. 163, 174705 (2025).
• Yunxing Su, Alfonso Castillo, On Shun Pak, Lailai Zhu, and Roberto Zenit
  Viscoelastic levitation
  J. Fluid Mech. 943 A23 (2022).
• Alfonso Castillo, William L. Murch, Jonas Einarsson, Baltasar Mena, Eric S. G. Shaqfeh, and Roberto Zenit
  Drag coefficient for a sedimenting and rotating sphere in a viscoelastic fluid
  Phys. Rev. Fluids 4, 063302 (2019).