I was born on February 14, 1975 in Lenoir, NC to Barry and Gayle Coffey (Here's a link to their business, Metalx Inc.). I graduated from Hibriten High School in 1992. I received a B.S. in physics with minors in mathematics and spanish from North Carolina State University in 1996. Also at NCSU, I received an M.S. in physics in 1999. My advisor was Dr. Harald Ade, and my thesis was entitled, "Radiation Damage to Polymers with Soft X-rays." I received my Ph.D. from NCSU in 2004. My advisor was Dr. Jacqueline Krim, and my dissertation was entitled, "Nanotribology Fundamentals: Predicting the Viscous Coefficient of Friction."

I married Chris Thaxton on July 31, 1999. Chris is also a professor here at ASU. We had our son, Nicholas, on June 4, 2004. Nick is also a student here at ASU, of Lucy Brock Child Development Center. The picture above was taken of all of us at Christmas, 2004.

I enjoy reading, hiking, martial arts, and music, when I have the time. Which, with a faculty position and a young baby, isn't very often! Here are my links.