• Cheng's teaching interests cover a vast range. In his career at Texas Tech prior to coming to Trinity, he taught virtually every course in the undergraduate and graduate physics curriculum. He currently has a large grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the effectiveness of different physics lab pedagogies. He is particularly excited about teaching Biophysics at Trinity, and is actively engaged with students from many departments in mentoring class projects. One of his future goals is to teach astronomy lab!

    Cheng's current research is focused on understanding the underlying physical mechanisms that cause neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. He has a powerful computing cluster at Trinity, and has been awarded large amounts of supercomputer time, to run molecular dynamics simulations. He is currently preparing to set up a single molecule spectroscopy laboratory in the new Center for Sciences and Innovation. He has engaged numerous students and faculty in collaborations on campus, in San Antonio, at Texas Teach, and elsewhere.

    "Calorimetric behavior of Phosphatidylcholine/Phosphatidy-ethanolamine bilayers is compatible with the Superlattice model" by Cheng, K.H., Virtanen, J., and Somerharju, P. (2012), J Phys Chem B 116 , 1802-1811.

    "Molecular dynamics simulations reveal the protective role of cholesterol in beta-amyloid protein-induced disruptions in neuronal membrane mimics" by Qiu, L., Buie, C., Reay, A., Vaughn, M.W., and Cheng, K.H. (2011), J Phys Chem B 115, 9795-9812.

    • General Physics I & II
    • Introductory and Intermediate Physics Lab
    • Biophysics
    • Quantum Physics I  

    Community Involvement

    Cheng has "adopted" some local high schools in San Antonio and remains in contact with them about physics education and career opportunities.

    Trinity Involvement

    • Adviser, Society of Physics Students
    • DeCoursey Lecturer Committee
    • Service as Vice Chair, Chair-elect, and Chair of Texas Section of the American Physical Society, 2011-2013