Contact Information
Name: William DeGraffenreid
Title: AVP of Research / Professor of Physics
Office Location: Library 2520
Email: degraff@csus.edu
Office Phone: 916-278-3669
Office Hours: by appointment
LinkedIn : Profile
Sac State Scholars : Profile
About Dr. D
Hello, my name is William (Bill) DeGraffenreid, and I serve as the Associate Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Economic Development. I have been a Hornet since 2002 when I joined Sacramento State as an Assistant Professor of Physics. Since that time, I have had the great pleasure of serving campus in a wide variety of other roles, including Physics Department Chair, Special Assistant to the President, and Vice Provost for Faculty Success (interim). From August 2022 to July 2024, I was on leave from Sacramento State, serving as Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs, Success & Equity (interim) at CSU Channel Islands.
In addition to being a faculty member in the California State University system, I am a proud alumnus of the CSU. I graduated from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) in 1995 with my BS in Physics, minoring in chemistry. I subsequently earned my Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from the University of Maryland in 2000. My Ph.D. research and postdoctoral work at the National Institute of Standards and Technology focused on experimental atomic physics (laser cooling, cold atom collisions, and high-resolution laser spectroscopy). This background served me well in my early days when I taught a wide range of upper-division laboratory courses here at Sac State and modernized our electronics and advanced lab facilities with my colleagues. I did a sabbatical at UC Davis working with Prof. Chris Cappa to modernize and improve a cavity ring-down spectrometer which has been deployed in Cappa's group for many years.
Hobbies that keep me out of trouble include raising our kids, cycling (find me on Zwift), cooking, camping, gardening, home winemaking, and soccer. I have been a youth soccer coach since 2008 and am a big fan of our local Sacramento Republic FC. My wife and I have both actively raised funds for Blood Cancer United (formerly Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) by participating in numerous endurance events through their Team In Training program. Collectively, with the generosity of our family, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances, we raised over $30,000 for LLS.