Robert Hill

Robert Hill
Associate Professor, Teaching Fellow
Location: PHY 248

Biography

Dr. Hill's research is focused on the experimental study of materials whose exotic properties are dominated by the collective quantum mechanical nature of their electrons and defy explanation using current theoretical paradigms.

The difficult challenge of predicting emergent collective electronic properties means that such search and discovery is lead by experiment.

Dr. Hill's research provides the precise low temperature measurements of fundamental properties which form the benchmarks against which theoretical understanding is tested.

Research Interests

  • Unconventional superconductivity

  • Quantum phase transitions

  • Transport in low dimensional materials

  • Quantum Science

Scholarly Research

Education

  • 1996, Doctorate Physics, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom

  • 1991, Bachelor of Science (BSc) Physics, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom

Service

  • Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, Faculty of Science, University of Waterloo

Teaching*

  • PHYS 111 - Physics 1
    • Taught in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
  • PHYS 233 - Introduction to Quantum Mechanics
    • Taught in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
  • SCI 300 - Special Topics in Science
    • Taught in 2024, 2025

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.

Selected/Recent Publications

  • WH Toews, RW Hill. "A robust and well shielded thermal conductivity device for low temperature measurements". Review of Scientific Instruments 85 (4), 043905 (2014)

  • WH Toews, SS Zhang, KA Ross, HA Dabkowska, BD Gaulin, RW Hill. "Thermal Conductivity of Ho2Ti2O7 along the [111] Direction". Physical review letters 110 (21), 217209 (2013)

  • Johnpierre Paglione, MA Tanatar, DG Hawthorn, Etienne Boaknin, RW Hill, F Ronning, M Sutherland, Louis Taillefer, C Petrovic, PC Canfield. "Field-Induced Quantum Critical Point in CeCoIn5. Physical review letters 91 (24), 246405 (2003)

  • R.W. Hill. "Superconducting Levitation". Physics in Canada 67, 136 (2011)

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