Welcoming Interim Dean Frank Marsiglio

He's been a champion for research and his teaching style has made him a favourite among students; now, the Faculty of Science warmly welcomes Frank Marsiglio as interim dean.

Michaela Ream & Andrew Lyle - 01 October 2018

Over the last 20 years, Frank Marsiglio has accomplished a great deal in the University of Alberta's Department of Physics as a professor, researcher, and mentor. Whether championing undergraduate research or reworking the teaching approach of quantum mechanics courses to the acclaim of his students, Marsiglio has shared his passion for science, teaching, and research to great effect. Now, he will bring that same passion and his love of sharing science to the entire faculty as he steps into the role of interim dean beginning October 1st.


Frank Marsiglio's career in science has taken him to many different institutions; but his passion for teaching eventually brought him to UAlberta, where he has shared that passion with the Department of Physics for more than 20 years.

Completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto (BASc Engineering Science '83), Marsiglio went on to complete both his MSc and PhD at McMaster University ('84, '88). He held an Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Diego and then joined Chalk River Laboratories as a research scientist. He also was appointed as an adjunct professor of physics and astronomy at McMaster University before joining UAlberta as an associate professor in 1997.

Marsiglio has twice served as the acting chair of the Department of Physics-for six months in 2009 and a year in 2015-before becoming the associate chair of graduate studies in physics, all while further establishing a body of research.

"My field of expertise is condensed matter physics, and I study superconductivity in particular," said Marsiglio. "Like several other areas in physics, condensed matter physics uses quantum mechanics to describe what goes on in materials, such as metals, and how they become superconducting."

A passion for teaching

Marsiglio credits his particular interest in quantum mechanics to when he began teaching the subject to third- and fourth-year undergraduates at UAlberta. In fact, Marsiglio has always been passionate about teaching; it's something he remembers always wanting to do, even from a young age.

"I think I always wanted to teach. I can remember first learning calculus and finding it so beautiful that I felt I needed to teach it to my sister, so she became my first student," he said with a laugh. "She was only in grade six at the time, but I had it in my head that she ought to be able to understand calculus, learn it, and appreciate its beauty. It was a bit of a disaster, but this story reminds me that I always had this desire to share science with others."

While working at Chalk River Laboratories as a research scientist, Marsiglio found he missed the teaching and instead wanted to become a professor at a university-an opportunity that arose at UAlberta.

For several years, Marsiglio has used a new approach in teaching his courses that exposes students to a more modern method for solving quantum mechanics problems. Traditionally, quantum mechanics courses use wave mechanics to approach problems, while research problems use Heisenberg matrix mechanics, a method generally not taught to undergraduate students.

Marsiglio explains this divide has been because research problems tend to be more complicated, necessitating the computational matrix approach. But Marsiglio didn't see why his students shouldn't also learn this method; after all, what better way to combine research and teaching in the classroom than by teaching students how researchers really tackle problems? Furthermore, in the modern age, the requirement of a computer to solve problems shouldn't be an impediment.

"They actually loved it," said Marsiglio. "Many of them seemed to experience the same sense of awe that I did when solutions familiar to them from the usual mathematical approach appeared in an entirely different formulation."

Sharing science and investing in students

Sharing the more rigorous method of solving quantum mechanics problems with students is just one way that Marsiglio finds sharing science fulfilling.

"Every time it becomes clear that a student has reached the point where they don't really care about their grade but want to simply understand the problem at hand, I feel elated-I feel I have helped inspire a student to learn more about physics."

In 2012, when Marsiglio received a McCalla Professorship and Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund (TLEF) Grant, he was able to hire undergraduates over the summer in research positions and has seen some of those undergraduates become published as lead authors in peer-reviewed journals.

"What I've realized teaching over the years, is that day-to-day I get a whole different kind of satisfaction through teaching students; both in and out of the classroom as well as in a research setting," said Marsiglio. "I hope that my enthusiasm carries across and motivates or inspires students to want to learn. In the end, putting a lot of effort into our students just comes back around and makes this job even better."

Marsiglio will bring that enthusiasm with him as he broadens his focus from the Department of Physics to the entire Faculty of Science as he steps into the role of interim dean.