Randy P. Tompkins
“The WVU physics department provided me with an excellent physics education. I was surrounded by excellent professors who cared about their students and challenged me intellectually. I was fortunate enough to perform research as an undergraduate then transition into Dr. Thomas Myers' laboratory as a graduate research assistant where I learned how to do effectively perform research. He and others in the department taught me important ideas related to attention to detail, communication, and intellectual curiosity that I still use in my job today. I am forever grateful to the faculty and staff at WVU. Being a WV native and earning both degrees from WVU is something that I take great pride.”
A native of New Haven, WV, Dr. Randy Preston Tompkins received both his undergraduate and Ph.D. in physics from West Virginia University in 2003 and 2009 respectively.
Randy is currently the Chief of the Sensor Experimentation branch at the Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory (ARL) in Adelphi, MD. Previously, Dr. Tompkins was the Team Leader of the Compact Power Team in the Energy Conversion branch ARL. His research interests include sensors, legged robotics, energy conversion materials and devices, semiconductor material growth and characterization, as well as device fabrication and characterization of wide and ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors for high power electronic, optoelectronic and betavoltaic applications. He has authored/co-authored over 30 papers on both III-Nitride and II-VI semiconductors in his career.
During his time at ARL, he participated in a one-year developmental assignment in the Sensors and Electron Devices Directorate Front Office as the Technical Assistant to the Director from March 2020 – March 2021 where he learned first-hand how ARL operates. Since 2015, Dr. Tompkins has also served as an adjunct professor in the Department of Physics at Morgan State University (Baltimore, MD) teaching Physics 206 and 206L. Prior to his current position, he was a scientist/engineer with General Technical Services from 2012 – 2014, and a postdoctoral researcher as an Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) fellow from 2009 – 2012, both positions at DEVCOM ARL.
In 2009, Dr. Tompkins received his Ph.D. in physics under the direction of Dr. Thomas H. Myers at West Virginia University (Morgantown, WV). His dissertation work was on molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth and fabrication of Gallium Nitride (GaN) photonic crystals for bio-sensing applications. Randy is a 2021 graduate of ARL’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program and currently represents ARL on the DEVCOM C-UAS Integrated Planning team. He has previously served on the Energy and Power Community of Interest (COI) working group as well as the Army alternate representative on the Interagency Advanced Power Group.
In his spare time, Randy has a passion for weightlifting, martial arts, podcasts, reading, mountain biking, camping, fishing, running, journaling, yoga as well as spending quality time with family and friends.
Contact: randy.p.tompkins.civ@army.mil | Phone (W): 301.641.7316