Dr. Emil Prodan, assistant professor of physics at Stern College for Women, has received a National Science Foundation grant for his article titled “Dynamical Processes in Many-Body Systems: Analysis and Simulations”. The three-year grant is worth over $300,000 and was awarded by the Division of Mathematical Sciences through the Computational Mathematics Program.
The present technological progress is in great part based on design and discovery of new materials. Nowadays, the design of advanced materials involves laboratory work and computer simulations. Enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of computer simulations will reduce the costs, broaden the array of interesting and potentially useful materials, and speed up the process of testing and characterization. This is the target of the proposed research. The plan is to combine rigorous mathematical analysis, the insights from physics, chemistry and computer simulations in order to push the boundaries of theoretical simulations of advanced materials such as nano-structured materials, topological insulators and molecular electronic devices. The proposed research could have significant technological impact in applications such as nano-science and other areas of interest such as solar cell devices and energy conversion and storage.
