Peter Sheldon

Dr. Peter Sheldon earned his B.A. in Mathematics and in Physics at Amherst College, and his M.S. in Physics and Ph.D. in Physics at the University of Massachusetts. Dr. Sheldon currently serves as the Chief Reader for the AP Physics Exam, the Director for the Center of Student Research at Randolph College and as a professor and Chair for the Department of Physics of Randolph College. Additionally, Dr. Sheldon participates in and directs multiple outreach activities such as the Randolph College Science Festival and the Jubilee Development Center Summer Science Camp. Throughout his career, he has been selected for many awards, including the Randolph College Gilley Larew Excellence in Teaching Award in 2009 and serving as faculty advisor for SPS chapters that have been named the Outstanding Chapter multiple times.  Dr Sheldon served as the Zone Councilor for Zone 4 from 2014 to 2017. 

Dr. Randolph is regarded as someone who helps “students become all that they can be in the community of physicists and engineers”. One of the motivational forces that drives Randolph’s passion is “seeing science light up the eyes of someone who otherwise wouldn’t care or wouldn’t have the opportunity to try it out”. This passion is also reflected through the numerous memberships he has held in the science community, including being a member of the American Physical Society (APS), the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), and the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR). Regardless of the many commitments Dr. Sheldon has in this community, he still makes time for his students, especially when “he is often found in his office late at night and no matter his work load or the late hour, he is willing to help his students with physics questions or to give advice”. It is this willingness to help others while contributing continuously to the world of science that makes him an exceptional advisor in the eyes of his students.