Rate My Professor Jacob Moldenhauer

Jacob Moldenhauer serves as Department Chair and Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Dallas. He holds a B.A. from the University of the Ozarks, an M.S. from the University of Texas at Dallas, and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Dallas, where he conducted research on higher-order gravity models under advisor Mustapha Ishak, graduating in 2010. His academic career at the University of Dallas includes progression from assistant professor to associate professor and department chair. Moldenhauer is also Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning in the College of Liberal Arts. His research specializes in cosmology, general relativity, gravitational waves, dark matter, dark energy, and higher-order gravity models. He develops interactive computer simulations, notably the CosmoEJS package, which enables exploration of cosmological models using recent observational data sets from supernovae, baryon acoustic oscillations, and cosmic microwave background.

Moldenhauer's peer-reviewed publications demonstrate significant contributions to testing general relativity at cosmological scales and constraining modified gravity theories. Key works include “Exploring the constraints on cosmological models using CosmoEJS” with Francis Cavanna, William O’Toole, and William Zimmerman (JCAP 11, 2018); “Testing General Relativity at Cosmological Scales: Implementation and Parameter Correlations” with Jason Dossett and Mustapha Ishak (Phys. Rev. D, October 2011); “Supernova, BAO, and CMB surface distance constraints on f(G) higher order gravity models” with Mustapha Ishak, John Thompson, and Damien Easson (Phys. Rev. D 81:063514, 2010); and “A minimal set of invariants as a systematic approach to higher order gravity models: Physical and Cosmological Constraints” with Mustapha Ishak (JCAP 0912:020, 2009). Earlier, he co-authored “A New Independent Limit on the Cosmological Constant/Dark Energy from the Relativistic Bending of Light by Galaxies and Clusters of Galaxies” (MNRAS 388, 2008). More recently, Moldenhauer leads the first University of Dallas-led project at CERN's Neutron Time-of-Flight (n_TOF) facility, focusing on thermal neutron absorption cross-sections, including the measurement of the isomeric yield ratio for Zirconium-88 thermal neutron absorption (Phys. Rev. C 111, L021601, 2025) co-authored with students Isaac Kelly and Will Flanagan. He actively mentors undergraduates in advanced research, resulting in student-led publications and presentations at international conferences.