I work on several topics, the common thread being geometry. Most of my problems involve nontrivial patterns in space; frequently the problem is to determine the qualitative nature of the ground state (or equilibrium phase).
Undergrad projects: I have ideas for projects in theoretical solid-state physics, not using quantum mechanics and related to my quasicrystals, biological physics, or frustrated antiferromagnets research (see "Research supported by the DOE", below). For more details, click here Grad research opportunities: see here . Postdocs (2009-11): I may have funding for a shared postdoc
Typically on the computational-analytic borderline, with a focus on: what are unbiased ways to get information out of the (experimental or numerical) data? There are two threads currently:
Quasicrystals are complex metal alloys with highly ordered, yet non-periodic structures. We want to determine their structure and understand why they form. Thus our work breaks down into (1) atomic structure fitting and structural energies; (2) random tiling ensembles;
Research details: QuasicrystalsI work on two major topics in biological physics They involve statistical mechanics plus spatial patterning. (1) We study the assembly of virus shells ("capsids"), via growth models (i.e. statistical physics) and also a kind of multiscale modeling, in which we infer effective lumped spring constants for whole protein units from all-atom simulations. (2) Physical mechanisms causing macroscopic Left/Right asymmetry (handedness) in animals and plants.
Research details: Biological physics.I belong to the Cornell Center for Materials Research. I was once active in a research group within the CCMR on "Energetic Surface Processing", which involved models of the growth of crystals by atom deposition.
Research details: past projects