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Kristen Repa, PHD

(She/Her/Hers)

Assistant Professor: (585) 395-5563
krepa@brockport.edu
Office: Smith Hall 125

Presidential Teaching Excellence Award Winner

Education

PhD in Applied Physics, University of South Florida, 2016
MS in Materials Science and Engineering, University of South Florida, 2013
BS in Physics, University of South Florida, 2009

Areas of Specialty

Magnetism & magnetic materials, nanotechnology, environmental remediation

Courses Taught

PHS 205 - Introduction to Physics I, with laboratory
PHS 210 - Introduction to Physics II, with laboratory
PHS 308 - Electronics Laboratory
PHS 328 - Modern Physics
PHS 345 - Advanced Physics Laboratory
PHS 411 - Quantum Mechanics
PHS 419 - Electricity & Magnetism

Research Interests

Throughout her career, Dr. Repa has had an interest in magnetic materials with reduced dimension. She enjoys fabricating samples with different structures to exploit magnetic properties for many possible applications. In the past, she has studied confinement effects of magnetic nanoparticles used in polymer nanocomposites and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. She also has ongoing work from her post-doc on fabrication and study of artificially inhomogeneous magnetic materials consisting of magnetic thin films. Most recently, she set up a magnetic nanoparticle synthesis lab with the intent to study how particle morphology affects the ability of particles to remove contaminants from local water supplies.

Recent Student Research Projects

Avery Di Iulio: Exploring the Shape and Size of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles to Optimize PFAS Adsorption, 2024 - Present
Max Munger: Troubleshooting a 3D Printer for Updated Design of Water Purification Testing Apparatuses, Fall 2024
Vincent Daviero: Troubleshooting a Thermal Evaporator and Designing a Water Purification Testing Apparatus, Summer 2023
Ryan O’Connor: Fabricating Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Water Purification, 2021-2024
Samuel Lotemple: Using Electrolysis to Synthesize Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Water Purification, Summer 2021
Edward Ryan: Magneto Optic Kerr Effect, Spring 2021
Lee Perry: Constructing and Testing a Helmholtz Coil, Spring 2021

Stojak Repa, Perspectives on the Use of Magnetic Materials for Environmental Remediation: A Mini Review. Physics Letters A (2025) 239 130341
K. Stojak Repa, B.J. Kirby, C.W. Miller, Tunable Coupling in Magnetic Thin Film Heterostructures with a Magnetic Phase Transition. Scientific Reports (2023) 13 9538
D. Rodriguez Alberto, K. Stojak Repa, S. Hegde, C.W. Miller, T.A. Trabold, Novel Production of Magnetite Particles via Thermochemical Processing of Digestate from Manure and Food Waste. IEEE Magnetics Letters (2019) 10 3504605
R. Geng, H.M Luong, R. Das, K. Stojak Repa, J. Robles-Garcia, M.T. Pham, T.A. Duong, H.T. Pham, T.H. Au, N.D. Lai, G.K. Larson, M.H. Phan, and T.D. Nguyen, Magnetically Tunable Organic Semiconductors with Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles. Materials Horizons (2019) 9 1913
M.H. Phan, J. Alonso, H. Khurshid, P. Lampen-Kelley, S. Chandra, K. Stojak Repa, Z. Nemati, R. Das, Ó. Iglesias, and H. Srikanth, Exchange Bias Effects in Iron Oxide Based Nanoparticle Systems. Nanomaterials (2016) 6 221

Avery Di Iulio, K. Repa, “Using Magnets to Remove Forever Chemicals from Water,” Conference for Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities in Physics, Syracuse, NY (January 24-26, 2025)
K. Repa, “Put a Spin on It! The Many Applications of Magnetic Materials,” Seminar for Frontiers in Science at University of Alabama in Huntsville (remote) (October 25, 2024)
C.W. Miller, K. Stojak Repa, B.J. Kirby, “Tunable Coupling in Magnetic Thin Film Heterostructures with a Magnetic Phase Transition,” Spin Electronic and Nanomagnetism Colloquium 2023, Nancy, France (August 30-September 2, 2023).

Appointments

Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, SUNY Brockport, 2020-present