LSU Announces Distinguished Research Masters

Each year, LSU’s Office of Research & Economic Development honors the exceptional research and scholarship of two LSU faculty as Distinguished Research Masters.

Mette Gaarde, the Les and Dot Broussard Alumni Professor in the LSU Department of Physics & Astronomy, is being recognized for her scholarship in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Paul J. Frick, the Roy Crumpler Memorial Chair in the LSU Department of Psychology, is receiving the title based on his research in the arts, humanities, social and behavioral sciences. The Distinguished Research Masters will discuss their work as part of a public presentation on April 3 at 5 p.m. in the Holliday Forum in the LSU Journalism Building, followed by a reception and celebration of their individual contributions to the flagship university and the world.

“Our long-standing tradition of naming two LSU faculty as Distinguished Research Masters recognizes the phenomenal impact university research can have on the world,” said Robert Twilley, vice president of research and economic development at LSU. “These faculty truly put ‘Scholarship First,’ dedicating not just their careers, but their lives, to the production of knowledge and useful solutions we all benefit from.”

Mette Gaarde, Distinguished Research Master—Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics

Physics & Astronomy, College of Science

Gaarde’s research adds critical knowledge on how electrons inside atoms, molecules and solids respond when exposed to short laser pulses. These electrons naturally move on the attosecond time scale, and their laser-driven motion leads to the production of attosecond light pulses—the shortest bursts of light ever made and the subject of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics. The ultrafast response of electrons to an attosecond light pulse represents the first few frames of a very short “molecular movie” that follows the evolution of a photochemical reaction from its very beginning. Gaarde uses high-performance computer simulations to study both the production of attosecond light pulses and the dynamics they initiate. Attoseconds are one billionth of a billionth of a second, which means there are more attoseconds in one second than seconds since the beginning of our universe. The electron behavior Gaarde studies has implications for energy, health and defense technologies as well as the creation of new materials.

“Working closely with my colleagues and group members at LSU and around the world to discover new results and explain them together—that is my favorite thing about being a researcher,” Gaarde said.

Gaarde received her PhD in physics from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1997. Since joining the LSU faculty in 2003, she has published more than 100 papers and secured more than $4 million in research grants. Gaarde has received multiple LSU awards—most recently, the 2019 Distinguished Faculty Award. She has mentored dozens of undergraduate and graduate research students, including in collaboration with Anne L’Huillier, one of the 2023 laureates of the Nobel Prize in Physics, who was Gaarde’s PhD advisor.

Paul J. Frick, Distinguished Research Master—Arts, Humanities, Social & Behavioral Sciences

Psychology, College of Humanities & Social Sciences

Frick is a lifelong Tiger, having received his bachelor’s degree from LSU in 1984 and currently serving as director of clinical training for LSU’s doctoral program in clinical psychology. His research seeks to uncover the causes of violent and criminal behavior, and his work has been used to develop more effective ways to diagnose and treat children and adolescents who are more likely to hurt others or break rules and laws. From 2006 through 2012, he worked with the John T. and Catherine D. MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change in Juvenile Justice program to help Louisiana develop strategies to find safe and effective alternatives to incarceration for juveniles, and reduce disproportionate minority contact with the juvenile justice system to prevent future crime and violence. Frick has developed internationally used measures to assess risk, related to parenting and the levels of empathy and guilt that can be used to assess a child’s risk for serious behavior problems. His diagnostic criteria have been adopted by the American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organization.

“Receiving this award has led me to reflect on the many incredible students I have had the pleasure to mentor and learn from over my 34 years as a professor,” Frick said. “Not only have they been instrumental in my research, but they have gone on to make impressive contributions to the science and practice of psychology, and made teaching and research fun.”

Frick earned his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Georgia in 1990. He has published over 270 peer-reviewed publications, over 55 book chapters as well as seven books and test manuals. His work has been cited over 63,000 times.

Learn more about and attend the April 3 celebration.