Jonathan Boyd, Instructor and Assistant Director for Introductory Instructional Physics Laboratories

See full story in the Daily: Meet new faculty at the College of Arts and Sciences

The students in Case Western Reserve University’s undergraduate Class of 2029 aren’t the only new faces on campus. We also welcomed new faculty members across the university, including in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Read on to get to know some of those new faculty members, who shared their thoughts on their careers and research endeavors—and stay tuned to meet more new faculty members at the college. 

Jonathan Boyd

Jonathan Boyd has returned to CWRU, where he received his PhD in physics and worked as a graduate student, conducting research on plasmonic properties and studied flat optics. Boyd also received his bachelor’s in physics from Kent State University. 

What are your specific teaching and/or research areas and interests?

My teaching areas focus on introductory physics courses and the associated labs. These are the large lecture classes that most STEM majors take. I enjoy teaching these courses because the material can be related to everyday life, from why roads are banked to the basis for radio and so much more.

What do you look forward to at Case Western Reserve University?

I look forward to continuing to enjoy and give back to the community that fostered my own development. I completed my PhD at CWRU from 2017 to 2023, so I have been a part of the community for a while now and now get to help set the atmosphere for students.

Do you have any personal goals, hobbies, family, interests that you would like to share?

My wife, Emily, and I have a 1-year-old son named Sebastian. We read his set of “Physics for Babies” books every day. I am really looking forward to hiking with him and our dog, Sylvie, next summer down in Hocking Hills State Park. (The picture is from this past summer when we went hiking down there. He rode in his hiking backpack then, by next year he will be walking at least some of the trails.)

What’s one piece of advice you have for students?

College is not about the degree, it is about developing into a dedicated, curious, and hard-working individual. No matter what you want to do after college, your focus here is on forging yourself into who you want to be.