Hockey Alumnus Goes from Canada to California to Teach Quantum Physics

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Despite earning a bachelor’s degree in physics and applied mathematics, Justin Perron ’05 came to SUNY Oswego for a different reason entirely.

“I was recruited by Coach [George] Roll to play hockey,” Perron said.

A native of Dundas, Ontario, Canada, Perron was playing hockey for the Burlington Cougars when he met then head men’s ice hockey coach George Roll and current coach Ed Gosek ’83 M’01. Perron stayed connected with the coaches and witnessed the Lakers take on Plattsburgh, before deciding to transfer to Oswego.

“My last year at Oswego was the year they broke ground on the new facility,” Perron laughed, referring to the arena in the Marano Campus Center. “I’ve been back to campus since, and it makes me jealous.”

After graduating from Oswego, Perron earned a doctorate in physics from the University of Buffalo in Buffalo, N.Y., then joined the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST, outside of Washington, D.C, to research solid state quantum computation.

“At NIST, I really enjoyed the research we were doing,” Perron said. “We were using single electron transistors for research in metrology [science of measuring] and quantum computing.”

With wife, Lindsay, whom he met at Buffalo, and daughter, Winnie, Perron moved to Southern California in August 2015 after he accepted a position as assistant professor in the physics department at California State University San Marcos.

“After I finished my Ph.D., I really wanted to be in the classroom teaching. I like both teaching and researching, depending on the day, so I’m lucky to be where I am,” Perron said.

Perron stays in touch with his teammates and classmates, primarily through social media, and tries to stay active on the ice. In D.C., he played on a men’s ice hockey league.

“I haven’t laced them up since we moved to San Marcos,” Perron said. “I hope to, soon.”

–Tyler Edic ’13

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