Dr. David Hutchinson is a 5th year instructor in the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering. He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Physics. In 2011 he earned his Master of Science in Physics from RPI. In 2014 he earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Physics from RPI. Dr. Hutchinson’s thesis research project was in experimental photonics, with a specialization in novel semiconductor characterization. Dr. Hutchinson’s primary focus was on determining the optical and electronic properties of silicon photocells doped to supersaturated levels using pulsed laser melting techniques. He co-authored several publications on this topic in journals including Applied Physics Letters, Applied Physics Express, and Nature Communications. From 2009 until 2011 Dr. Hutchinson was a National Science Foundation GK-12 Fellow. He was partnered with a local high school to serve as a classroom outreach presence, as well as conducting full time research. During the spring of 2015 he was an Adjunct Instructor for the Physics 1 program at RPI. While at West Point Dr. Hutchinson has previously been the Core Physics Lab Program Course Director, the PH206 Course Director, and is currently the Core Physics Deputy Program Director.