Professor Taborek received his B.S. degree in Mathematics from Harvey Mudd College in 1974 and his Ph. D. in Physics from Caltech in 1980. Subsequently, he worked at AT&T Bell Labs and Texas Instruments and joined the UCI Physics Department in 1989.

Professor Taborek's research spans a wide range; from fundamental studies of phase transitions in quantum liquids to applied materials science and from processes near absolute zero to high-temperature flames and plasmas.

The growth of a film of one material on a substrate of a different material is a phenomenon known as wetting; understanding the wetting behavior of an interface is a fundamental problem in statistical physics and also is of widespread practical importance. Professors Taborek and Rutledge have recently discovered the first example of a new type of growth mode known as prewetting which occurs on weak substrates. They are currently exploring the interaction of the prewetting transition with superfluidity and solidification.

Recent exciting developments in materials science include the development of vapor phase methods of growing diamond films, and the discovery of a new phase of carbon, C60. Ongoing projects in Professor Taborek's lab include the development of diagnostics for plasma jet deposition of diamond films, development of thermal and electrical characterization techniques for diamond and amorphous carbon, and the development of high-current carbon ion beams based on plasmas generated from C60 vapor.

Professor Taborek is part of a collaboration of UCI faculty recently funded to study metastable forms of doped solid hydrogen for possible use as a high-energy density storage medium. Important issues in this work include the surface dynamics, sticking, and growth mechanism of solid hydrogen, which is the most quantum mechanical solid. Techniques for doping hydrogen with energetic species using ion beams and characterizing the resulting material using optical and thermal probes are under development.