Grady Alexander Gambrel, son of Jeannine and David Gambrel of Lakewood, received his doctor of philosophy in physics from Ohio State University during its Summer Commencement recently.

Gambrel was the 2007 valedictorian of Southwestern High School and earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Buffalo in 2011, graduating summa cum laude. At Ohio State, Gambrel worked as a member of Dr. Jay Gupta’s research group where he conducted experiments on condensed matter. His doctoral thesis was titled ‘Scanning Tunneling Microscopy of Two-Dimensional Materials’. He also represented the Physics Department on the University’s Graduate School Council.

Gambrel is working as a lecturer of physics at Troy University in Troy, Ala.