Karin Bichler is a neutron scattering scientist at GP-SANS, located at the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She earned her PhD in Physics from Louisiana State University (LSU) in 2020 working in the research group of Prof. Gerald Schneider. During her doctoral studies, her research focused on the structure and dynamics of bottlebrush polymers using neutron scattering and complementary laboratory techniques—work she further extended during her subsequent time as a postdoctoral researcher at LSU.
Prior to moving to the United States, she attended the University of Regensburg in Germany, where she received her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Physics in 2014 and 2016, respectively. During her master’s studies, she already joined Prof. Schneider’s lab in the Chemistry Department at LSU, utilizing broadband dielectric spectroscopy to investigate the dynamical behavior of polymer melts and blends. This research was further supported by a visiting research experience at the Materials Physics Center (CFM) in San Sebastián, Spain.
Her research interests center on the structure and dynamics of soft matter using neutron scattering and complementary techniques. Her primary methodological expertise includes small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS), and neutron spin echo (NSE) spectroscopy, paired with broadband dielectric spectroscopy, rheology, and fast field-cycling NMR.