Duke Physics

Nasser Demir

Nasser Demir was born in Kuwait, where he lived the first seven years of his life until the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. He then lived for several years in the U.S. (time spent between St. Louis and Boston) for several years with his family before they all returned to Kuwait. He finished his high school at the American School of Kuwait in 2000, and entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that fall. Although initially having an interest in applied mathematics, Nasser declared himself a physics major and worked on some projects in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), in fluid dynamics and experimental condensed matter physics, specializing in novel carbon materials, such as carbon nanotubes and aerogels.

Attracted to Duke's graduate program by its friendly atmosphere, the Triangle's fine weather, and the quality research performed in the area of nonequilibrium systems, Nasser settled in the area of theoretical nuclear physics, working on transport theory in relativistic heavy ion collisions with Professor Steffen A. Bass. In particular, his work involves calculating transport coefficients, such as viscosity and diffusion constants, of the phases in a heavy ion collision using microscopic transport models.

Now in his sixth year at Duke, Nasser spends his time outside research activities working with the Duke Colloquium Committee, playing racquetball and working out at Wilson gym, and watching movies.