Christopher Sorensen

Christopher Sorensen (born October 1, 1947) is the Cortelyou-Rust University Distinguished Professor and a University Distinguished Teaching Scholar in theKansas State University Physics Department. He also is an adjunct professor in the department of chemistry at Kansas State University. He was named the Carnegie Foundation and Council for Advancement and Support of Education United States Professor of the Year for doctoral and research universities in 2007. His research interests include particulate systems, soft matter physics, light scattering, and materials synthesis.

Sorensen was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He earned a Bachelor of Science in physics from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1969. He was drafted and served in Vietnam.He earned his Ph.D. in physics in 1977 from the University of Colorado. He joined the physics department at Kansas State University in 1977 as an assistant professor of physics; he was promoted to associate professor in 1982 and professor in 1986. He was named a university distinguished professor in 2000 and the Cortelyou-Rust University Distinguished Professor in 2009.

Sorensen'sresearch focuses on theoretical and experimental studies of light scattering by particles of arbitrary size and shape andaggregation and gelation kinetics in aerosols and colloids.He is the author of more than 300 papers and holds seven patents including a method for graphene synthesis.He has directed the research of20 master's recipients, 19 doctorate recipients, and 14 postdoctoral students. He is a fellow of the American Association for Aerosol Research, the American Association for the Advancement of Science,andthe American Physical Society.