Research & leadership
Meet the team
Knot Physics is developed by researchers with backgrounds spanning foundational physics, cosmology, astrophysics, quantum field theory, and mathematical physics.
The team contributes to the development, calculation, criticism, and communication of the framework. Research is coordinated through Ordinal Research Institute under Research Director Cliff Ellgen and Program Director Dominique Kang, with collaborators bringing independent expertise to particular problems and publications.
Cliff Ellgen
Research Director
Ordinal Research Institute (opens in a new tab)
Cliff Ellgen is a theoretical physicist and the Research Director of the Knot Physics research program. He serves as President and Scientific Director at Ordinal Research Institute, where he guides the Institute’s scientific direction and supports collaborations on foundational physics. He has been developing the Knot Physics framework since 2004. He earned a B.S. in Mathematics from Caltech.
Ali Nayeri
Researcher
Ordinal Research Institute (opens in a new tab)
Ali Nayeri is a theoretical physicist whose work centers on early-universe cosmology and quantum gravity. His interests include string- and brane-motivated cosmological models, inflation and its alternatives, and connections between general relativity and quantum theory. He has held positions at MIT, the University of Florida, Harvard, UC Irvine, and Chapman University, where he was affiliated with the Institute for Quantum Studies. He holds a Ph.D. in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics from The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA).
Garrett Biehle
Researcher
Ordinal Research Institute (opens in a new tab)
Garrett Biehle received his Ph.D. from Caltech in astrophysics under advisors Kip Thorne and Roger Blandford. He worked out the structure and observational signature of stars with neutron-degenerate cores.
Bruno Klajn
Researcher
University of Zagreb (opens in a new tab)
Bruno Klajn is an assistant professor in the Section for Mathematics at the University of Zagreb’s Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology. He received a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Zagreb. His work spans high-energy physics, quantum electrodynamics, quantum chromodynamics, one-loop Feynman diagrams, quantum statistics, gauge theories, holonomy in quantum physics, and the quantum Hall effect. His teaching experience also includes mathematics and statistics at the Zagreb School of Economics and Management.
Bassem Sabra
Researcher
Notre Dame University–Louaize (opens in a new tab)
Bassem Sabra is a professor of physics at Notre Dame University–Louaize in Lebanon. He received his Ph.D. in astrophysics from Ohio University, USA. His field of research is active galactic nuclei, using multi-wavelength spectroscopy, modeling, and machine learning to study accretion physics, feedback, and the co-evolution with the host galaxy. He served as the first chairperson of NDU’s Department of Physics and Astronomy from October 2010 to September 2016.
Sebastian Zając
Researcher
SGH Warsaw School of Economics (opens in a new tab)
Sebastian Zając is a theoretical physicist and an assistant professor at the Decision Analysis and Support Unit at SGH Warsaw School of Economics. He received his Ph.D. in theoretical and mathematical physics from the University of Silesia in Katowice. He has worked on the mathematical foundations of quantum field theory, incorporating graph theory and category theory. He has also explored quantum machine learning in real-world, business applications.
Dominique Kang
Program Director
Ordinal Research Institute (opens in a new tab)
Dominique Kang serves as Program Director of Knot Physics, where she manages program operations, communications, and public presence. She supports the research team and leads the program’s organizational and public-facing efforts. She holds a B.S. in Economics from Arizona State University.