Rate My Professor David Donnelly

Throughout his career, Donnelly has contributed significantly to materials physics and physics education research. His pioneering work on athermal annealing of ion-implanted silicon garnered grants exceeding $1 million from agencies including the National Science Foundation and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, resulting in high-impact publications such as “Athermal Annealing of Silicon” (Physical Review Letters, 1997), “Far-Infrared Spectroscopic, Magneto-Transport, and X-ray Study of Athermal Annealing in Neutron Transmutation Doped Silicon” (Applied Physics Letters, 1997), and “Athermal Annealing of Low-Energy Boron Implants in Silicon” (Applied Physics Letters, 2001). In recent years, his research has shifted toward physics education, investigating the effects of curriculum reforms, student performance on the Force Concept Inventory, and quantum mechanics reasoning, with publications in AIP Conference Proceedings (2013-2018) and involvement in NSF-funded programs for cultivating science educator identities. Donnelly has earned prestigious awards including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching (2004), Robert N. Little Award from the Texas Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers (2014), Outstanding Citizen Medal from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (2006), and Outstanding Chapter Advisor from the Society of Physics Students (1995). He also serves on key university committees, such as the Presidential Commissions on the Run to R1 and Student Success.