People

Rachel E. Pepper:

Dr. Pepper is an Associate Professor of Physics and the William D. and Flora McCormick Chair in Biophysics at the University of Puget Sound.

Rachel received her Ph.D. in physics from Harvard working in Howard Stone’s group. Rachel completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado at Boulder Department of Physics working in the Physics Education Research Group and was a Miller Fellow at UC Berkeley working with Mimi Koehl and Evan Variano. At the University of Colorado she studied student learning difficulties and helped transform upper-division physics courses. At UC Berkeley she examined the interaction of marine larvae with turbulence. In general, Rachel is interested in the intersection between fluid mechanics and biology.

Access Rachel’s C.V. here.

Email: rpepper[at]pugetsound.edu

Office/Lab: Thompson 165G/156

Phone: 253-879-3867

Brett Klaassen:

Dr. Brett Klaassen van Oorschot is a postdoctoral researcher and research technician in the Pepper Lab. Brett is a biologist who specializes in how organisms utilize and interact with environmental flow. During the course of his graduate work at the University of Montana, he studied the aerodynamics and biomechanics of morphing avian wings and flexible feathers. His current research interests focus on how microorganisms function in very low Reynolds number flow. He is passionate about teaching, and has taught science at every level from middle school to university. Beyond research, Brett enjoys natural history, mountain biking, climbing, skiing, playing guitar, photography, flying, and travel. You can learn more about him at brettkvo.com.

Email: bklaassen[at]pugetsound.edu

Office/Lab: Thompson 159A

Phone: 253-879-3868