Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Physics, University of Michigan, 2015
  • M.S., Physics, University of Michigan, 2010
  • B.A., Physics, Harvey Mudd College, 2007
Professional Affiliations
  • American Physical Society

Dr. Bergemann is an experimental physicist with a background in material and device characterization, optoelectronics, and a wide variety of sensors including a range of quantum sensors. His expertise includes technologies ranging from visible and IR image planes to single-photon detectors to wearable health monitors to robotic wheel trackers. Dr. Bergemann has worked at all stages of the product development process, from market exploration to fundamental research to testing sensors for mass production and formulation of factory test plans. He has also performed research and development with a range of nanomaterials and quantum sensors, including carbon nanotube photodetectors and diamond nitrogen vacancy center magnetometers. Along the way, he has developed expertise in noise characterization and analysis, electronic and optoelectronic test and characterization methods, photoluminescence, and data analysis and interpretation. Dr Bergemann's experience spans a range of industries, from space to defense to consumer electronics. 

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Bergemann received his doctoral degree from the University of Michigan, where he studied electronic and optoelectronic properties of organic semiconductors and organic solar cells. He acted as the physics resource to an interdisciplinary group primarily composed of electrical engineers and materials scientists; they would develop improvements to devices and then Dr. Bergemann would determine the underlying principles that led to those improvements and then fold that understanding back into device design to form a roadmap for further improvement.  During this time he gained experience in nanofabrication, thin film characterization, photoluminescence techniques, and the creation of new measurement and characterization techniques when necessary to answer questions about device operation. His skills in materials and device characterization and ability to communicate the results to people in other disciplines with wildly varying levels of scientific and technical knowledge resulted in significant improvements to device efficiency, underlying physical understanding, and seven patents.

After being granted his physics Ph.D. Dr. Bergemann has worked on a range of sensors and devices at every stage of the product development process from basic research to factory test plans. As a postdoc at Sandia National Laboratories he designed, fabricated, and tested biomimetic carbon nanotube single-photon detectors as part of a DARPA project to push the limits of single photon sensing. He has worked as a research scientist at Lockheed Martin Space on photodetectors at visible and IR wavelengths, including image plane checkout and characterization. He has also spent time at Amazon Lab126, working on wheel-tracking sensors for the Astro robot and user studies of health monitoring wearables. His most recent work before joining Exponent involved market research and patent formulation for a new magnetometer based on diamond nitrogen vacancy centers. As such, Dr. Bergemann is experienced with a wide variety of sensors and sensing modalities, experienced in characterization, troubleshooting, and determining what sensor is ideal for a given application. His broad base of experience, both in the commercial world and in volunteer teaching, has also given him the ability to effectively communicate complicated scientific and technical information to people at all levels of understanding.