Rate My Professor Hector Mireles

Mireles specialized in magnetism and thin-film physics, publishing on topics such as surface-step-induced magnetic anisotropy and double magnetic switching of Fe films on W(100) surfaces (Journal of Applied Physics, 2001; Physical Review Letters, 2000), negative differential magnetization (Physical Review B, 2003), optoelastic manipulation of colloidal particles in liquid crystals (PNAS, 2011), and developing a Kerr microscope for solid-state physics labs, which graced the cover of American Journal of Physics (2014). He advanced undergraduate research and education, mentoring Latinx students like Angel Martinez (BS physics 2009), who earned a Ph.D. and became an assistant professor at Northern Arizona University, and Anatol Hoemke (BS physics 2006), now physics lab manager at Loyola Marymount University. Mireles championed diversity, serving as 2021 secretary of the National Society of Hispanic Physicists, co-hosting the 2018 Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics, and organizing monthly luncheons for women faculty. His leadership fostered departmental growth and supported underrepresented groups in physics.