Prof. Ma joined Georgia Southern University in 2000 and retired in 2024.

— Biography from the 2024 Fall commencement program —

Dr. Ma earned a BE in Laser Engineering (1982) from the Changchun Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, an MS in Physics (1985) from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry (1993) from the University of Georgia. Dr. Ma was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California Irvine from 1993-1995 and joined Georgia Southern University as a Temporary Instructor from 1995-1998. In 1998, she was Vice President of Research and Development for SynZyme Technologies in Irvine California for two years before joining the faculty at Georgia Southern permanently in 2000. A scholarly expert in spectroscopic applications to biological systems and condensed matter, her research resulted in 108 peer reviewed publications and 28 refereed conference proceedings while securing over $900,000 in extramural funding. As a scholar, Dr. Ma has a h-index of 38 and over 3,600 citations. Dr. Ma was recognized broadly for her excellence in the classroom, teaching introductory as well as majors physics courses and mentoring both undergraduate and graduate students in research. Dr. Ma’s teaching, service, and scholarly accomplishments at Georgia Southern have been extremely impactful on her students as well as her colleagues. The summation of her work makes her recognition as Professor Emerita of Physics well deserved.*