Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Physics, University of California, Davis, 2026
  • M.S., Physics, University of California, Davis, 2021
  • B.A., Applied Mathematics and Physics, University of California, Berkeley, 2019

Dr. Chaffey is an applied physicist with nearly a decade of expertise in materials characterization using research instruments to measure physical, electrical, and magnetic properties.

He has years of experience in failure analysis and root cause analysis of electrical and mechanical failures in consumer electronics down to the circuit board (PCB) and component level, as well as designing, building and repairing custom electronics.

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Chaffey completed his Ph.D. in physics at the University of California, Davis under Professor Nicholas Curro. As a graduate student in experimental condensed matter physics, he used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to characterize materials including high temperature superconductors and magnetic materials. His research focused on quantifying the effect that applying physical strain has on iron-based superconductors and pioneering a new method that improved SNR by several orders of magnitude. This work required mastery of RF signal integrity and impedance matching, high magnetic fields, temperature control, and cryogens.