Education
Ph.D., Physics
University of Victoria
BSc, MSc, Physics
University of Waterloo
Professor
Ph.D., Physics
University of Victoria
BSc, MSc, Physics
University of Waterloo
Gravitation, theoretical extensions of general relativity and experimental tests of
those theories
Astroparticle physics, cosmic background radiation, Olbers' paradox and dark matter
Cosmology, dark energy, Einstein's cosmological "constant", Mach's principle
James Overduin is a theorist in the areas of gravitation, cosmology, astronomy and
high-energy physics. He is particularly interested in extensions of General Relativity,
attempts to incorporate gravity into the Standard Model of particle physics, and in
ways to test those attempts through observation and experiment. He has also worked
extensively on cosmic background radiation at all wavelengths, focusing on its implications
for cosmic evolution (Olbers' paradox and the intergalactic medium) as well as its
potential as a dark-matter detector. Dr. Overduin is also a specialist in dark energy
(a.k.a. Einstein's cosmological constant), on which he has co-authored a book with
Helge Kragh (The Weight of the Vacuum, Springer Briefs in Physics, 2014). Most recently,
he has begun to investigate ways to improve the effectiveness of undergraduate physics
education through innovative teaching demonstrations. Much of his research is carried
out with undergraduate students (see https://wp.towson.edu/joverdui/students/ ).