Curriculum Vitae

Download this cv in pdf format.

General Information

Joseph D. MacMillan, B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D.
Associate Teaching Professor, Faculty of Science
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
2000 Simcoe Street North
Oshawa, ON L1H 7K4
Phone: (905) 721-8668 ext. 2957
Email: joseph.macmillan@uoit.ca

Education

Queen's University, Kingston, ON
Ph.D., Physics
Thesis: "Isolated Collapse of Dark Matter Halos"
2001 - 2006

Queen's University, Kingston, ON
M.Sc., Physics
Thesis: "Adiabatic Growth of Black Holes"
1999 - 2001

Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS
B.Sc., Honours Astrophysics
Thesis: "Chemistry of Hot Cores"
1995 - 1999

Employment

University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON
Undergraduate Program Director, Physics, Faculty of Science
July 2016 - present

University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON
Associate Teaching Professor, Faculty of Science
July 2014 - present

University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON
Assistant Teaching Professor, Faculty of Science
September 2011 - June 2014

University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON
Sessional Instructor, Faculty of Science
August 2007 - September 2011

Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS
Instructor, Department of Astronomy and Physics
September 2006 - April 2007

Honours

151 Chadburn Air Cadet Squadron, Oshawa, ON
Mess Dinner Guest of Honour
2019

University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON
Student Success Initiative Fund
With with Dr. Sayyed Ali Hosseini (PI), Dr. Hossam Kishawy, and Dr. Caroline Ferguson.
2018

Technology Enabled Seminar and Showcase
Winner of an Inspiration Award
2018

University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON
Winner of the Student Choice Award
2018

University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON
Teaching Innovation Fund
$8,000
2017

University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON
Nominated for the Teaching Faculty Teaching Award
2015

University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON
Teaching Innovation Fund
$8,500
2015

University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON
Nominated for the Complementary Faculty Teaching Award
2014

University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON
Teaching Innovation Fund
$8,000
2013

University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON
Nominated for the Complementary Faculty Teaching Award
2012

University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON
Nominated for the Complementary Faculty Teaching Award
2009

Queen's University, Kingston, ON
Ontario Graduate Scholarship (Science and Technology)
$15,000
2003 - 2004

Queen's University, Kingston, ON
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, PGS B
$38,200
2001 - 2003

Queen's University, Kingston, ON
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, PGS A
$34,600
1999 - 2001

Professional Affiliations

Canadian Association of Physicists
Member of the Division of Physics Education
2013 - present

American Association of Physics Teachers
2013 - present

Scholarly and Professional Work

Refereed Publication

Le Delliou, M., Henriksen, R. N., and MacMillan, J. D. "Black Holes and Galactic Density Cusps -- I. Radial Orbit Cusps and Bulges." Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 413, p. 1633, 2011.

Le Delliou, M., Henriksen, R. N., and MacMillan, J. D. "Black holes and galactic density cusps: From black hole to bulge." Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol. 526, p. 13, 2011

Le Delliou, M., Henriksen, R. N., and MacMillan, J. D. "Black holes and galactic density cusps: Spherically symmetric anisotropic cusps." Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol. 522, p. 28, 2010.

MacMillan, J. D., Widrow, L. M., and Henriksen, R. N. "On Universal Halos and the Radial Orbit Instability." Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 653, p. 43, 2006.

MacMillan, J. D. , and Henriksen, R. N. "Black Hole Growth and the Mbh - σ Relation." Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 569, p. 83, 2002.

Turner, D. G., Horsford, A. J., and MacMillan, J. D. "Monitoring Cepheid Period Changes from Saint Mary's University." Journal of the American Association of Variable Stars Observers, Vol. 27, p. 5, 1999.

Conference Proceedings

MacMillan, J. D., and Brar, R. Contributed Talk: "Physics and Astronomy Mastery Modules: an Open Learning System," Technology Enabled Seminar and Showcase, Toronto, November 2018.

MacMillan, J. D., and Brar, R. Contributed Talk and Poster: "Physics Mastery Modules: an Open First-Year Physics Learning System," American Association of Physics Teachers Summer Meeting, Washington, D.C., July 2018.

MacMillan, J. D., and Brar, R. Contributed Talk: "How the application of Physics Education Research improved student success in first-year physics," The Western Conference on Science Education, Western University, July 2017.

Halloran, R., MacMillan, J. D., Gies, W., Khan, D., and Brar, R. Poster: "Improving First Year Physics Student Learning With a Mastery Homework Setting," Canadian Undergraduate Women in Physics Conference, Dalhousie University, January 2016.

Selinger, E., O'Meara, T., MacMillan, J. D., and Brar, R. "Effective Physics Lecture Demonstrations," Canadian Undergraduate Women in Physics Conference, McGill University, 2014.

Selinger, E., O'Meara, T., MacMillan, J. D., and Brar, R. "Effective Physics Lecture Demonstrations," Canadian Undergraduate Physics Conference, McMaster University, 2013.

MacMillan, J. D. , and Henriksen, R.N. "Dynamical Growth of Black Holes and the Black Hole Mass - Velocity Dispersion Relation," Carnegie Observatories Astrophysics Series, Vol. 1: Coevolution of Black Holes and Galaxies, ed. L. C. Ho (Pasadena: Carnegie Observatories), 2004.

MacMillan, J. D. , and Henriksen, R.N. "Dynamical Growth of Black Holes in Dark Matter Halos," Active Galactic Nuclei: from Central Engine to Host Galaxy, Eds.: S. Collin, F. Combes and I. Shlosman. ASP (Astronomical Society of the Pacific), Conference Series, Vol. 290, p. 213, 2003.

Invited Presentations

MacMillan, J. D. , "Peer Instruction: Current Research in Physics Education." Ontario Institute of Physics Teachers Conference, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, May 2 - 4, 2013.

Teaching Activities

Course Design

As Undergraduate Program Director for the Physics Program, I was responsible for a thorough review of the physics curriculum and oversaw numerous changes to the program map. These changes are meant to improve retention in the program, balance the course workload for students, increase the variety of senior physics electives, and improve on areas where we have research strength.

In the fall of 2012 I created and designed (along with Dr. Rupinder Brar) a new specialization in the Physics program: Astrophysics. This program has been introduced in the 2013/2014 UOIT Academic Calendar, and includes three new courses, which are set to open in subsequent academic years:

In addition to designing the new courses, I also created the new program maps and introduced the new specialization to the Science Curriculum Committee and Science Faculty Council.

Undergraduate Courses

PHY 1010U Physics I
A calculus-based introduction to physics, including motion and mechanics. In 2012, I completely redesigned the delivery method of this course (using Peer Instruction) to bring it in line with recommendations from physics education research.
Fall 2007, Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018

PHY 1010U Physics II
A calculus-based introduction to physics, including electricity and magnetism. In 2013, I completely redesigned the delivery method of this course (using Peer Instruction) to bring it in line with recommendations from physics education research.
Winter 2008, Winter 2010, Winter 2011, Winter 2012, Winter 2013, Winter 2014, Winter 2015, Winter 2016, Summer 2017

PHY 1030U Physics for Biosciences I / Introductory Physics
A ``gentler'' introduction to physics, including motion and mechanics. In 2011, I completely redesigned the delivery method of this course (using Peer Instruction) to bring it in line with recommendations from physics education research.
Fall 2007, Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015

PHY 1040U Physics for Biosciences II / Physics for Biosciences
Physics with an emphasis on the biosciences, including electricity and magnetism.
Winter 2008, Winter 2009

PHY 18100U Physics for Health Sciences
Physics of the human body, including motion, forces, joints, energy, the lungs and gases, and fluids.
Winter 2012, Winter 2013

PHY 2010U Electricity and Magnetism I
Electrostatics and magnetostatics.
Fall 2009

PHY 2020U Electricity and Magnetism II
Electrodynamics and electromagnetic waves.
Winter 2010

PHY 2030U Mechanics I
Newtonian mechanics, oscillations, chaos, gravity.
Fall 2008

PHY 2040U Mechanics II
Lagrangian and Hamiltonian dynamics, central orbits, noninertial reference frames, solid body motion.
Winter 2013, Winter 2017, Winter 2018, Winter 2019

PHY 2060U Modern Physics I
Relativity, quantum physics, atoms, molecules, and solids.
Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Winter 2018, Winter 2019

PHY 3020U Quantum Mechanics I
Early quantum physics, the Schr\"odinger equation, the hydrogen atom, and spin.
Fall 2007 , Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018

PHY 3060U Fluid Mechanics
The study of fluid flow: inviscid fluids, Navier-Stokes equations, complex flow, aerodynamics, waves.
Winter 2009, Winter 2011, Winter 2013, Winter 2014, Winter 2015, Winter 2016, Winter 2017, Winter 2018

PHY 4010U Statistical Mechanics II
Magnetism, Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac gases, Ising model.
Winter 2009, Winter 2010

PHY 4020U Quantum Mechanics II
Perturbation theory, variational principle, WKB, scattering, relativistic quantum mechanics.
Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015

PHY 4030U Modern Physics
Relativity, field theory, and particles.
Winter 2009, Winter 2011, Winter 2012

PHY 4910U Techniques of Modern Astrophsyics
A practical course to learn modern techniques: numerical astrophysics (solving ODEs, stellar structure, Monte-Carlo, N-body simulations) and observational astronomy (data reduction and analysis).
Winter 2017, Winter 2019

PHY 4920U Cosmology
The universe from the big bang to today, including the Friedmann equations, dark matter, dark energy, the cosmic microwave, and the formation of structure.
Winter 2016, Winter 2018

SCIE 1900U Astronomy
An introduction to astronomy for non-scientists.
Winter 2008

Theses Supervised

Kinza Bakhtiar, The Effects of Super-Massive Black Holes on the Formation and Evolution of Galaxies, Sept. 2018 - April 2019.

Andrew Vlietstra, Simulating the Growth of a Black Hole Using Various Methods, Sept. 2018 - April 2019.

Hector Robinson, The Effects of Major Mergers on Dark Matter Halos, Sept. 2017 - April 2018.

Brady Metherall, The Effects of a Primordial Black Hole on the Surface of a Neutron Star, Sept. 2016 - April 2017.

Nicky Lam-Hong, The Adiabatic Growth of Black Holes, Sept. 2016 - April 2017.

Konstantinos Kastritis, The Collapse of Self-Interacting Dark Matter Halos, Sept. 2015 - April 2016.

KBrian Frendo-Cumbo, Quantum Gravity in 1 + 1 Dimensions, Sept. 2014 - April 2015.

Matthew Vandesande, The Interaction Between Supermassive Black Holes and Dark Matter Halos, Sept. 2013 - April 2014.

Graham Clendenning, Comparisons of Energy Loss in Quantum and Classical Harmonic Oscillators, Sept. 2012 - April 2013.

Chris McFadden, Modified Newtonian Dynamics: a Spherical Collapse, Sept. 2011 - April 2012.

Laura Henderson, The Role of the Radial Orbit Instability in the Formation of Dark Matter Halos, Sept. 2010 - April 2011.

Jessica Fallone, Adiabatic Growth of Black Holes, Sept. 2009 - April 2010 (secondary supervisor).

University Service

Science Academic Integrity Committee
Member
2018 - present

Science Executive Committee
Member
2016 - present

Science Curriculum Committee
Member
2016 - present

Search Committee
Faculty of Health Science Tenure/Tenure-Track Position
2016 - 2017

Science Education Committee
Chair. Organized the Symposium on Effective Teaching and Learning in the Sciences, September 2016, May 2018
2016 - 2018

Search Commitee
Dean of the Faculty of Education
2016

Teaching and Learning Advisory Commitee
Science representative
2016 - present

Retnetion Commitee
Member
2015 - present

Science Working Group on Best Practices in Teaching Large Classes
Member
2015 - present

Science Teaching Faculty Workload Committee
Helped develop workload policy
2014 - 2015

Recruitment Commitee
Member
2011-2014

Dean Search Committee
Faculty of Science
2013

Hiring Committee
Physics Core Faculty
2012

Scholar's Reception
Organized the Faculty of Science role in the 2012 Scholar's Reception (with Ilona Klepskin), including a special Science-only lecture demonstration and panel discussion.
2012

Science Rendezvous
Participate annually; developed IvenTours on superconductors, electric guitars, 3D images
2010 - present