Research in Condensed Matter Theory at UW

Currently there are five regular faculty members, one research faculty, one emeritus professor, three adjunct faculty, two affiliate faculty, three research associates and visitors, and seven graduate students working with the regular faculty members. In addition there are two research associates and two physics PhD students working with adjunct faculty members.

The members of the condensed matter theory group participate fully in the Condensed Matter Seminar, which is held on Tuesdays at 3:30, and run a Statistical Physics Seminar on Wednesdays at 12:30, which has a more theoretical bias, but in which members of the experimental group also participate.

Faculty members in the condensed matter theory group and their current interests are:

  • Anton Andreev (PhD 1996, MIT): Electron physics in low-dimensional systems, physics of disordered systems;
  • Aleksei Ankudinov (PhD 1996, UW)
  • Marcel den Nijs (PhD 1979, Katholieke University, Nijmegen, Netherlands): surface phase transitions and models of surface growth;
  • John Rehr (PhD 1972, Cornell): scattering theory, electronic structure and x-ray spectroscopy theory;
  • Michael Schick (PhD 1967, Stanford): self-assembly in soft condensed matter systems such as block copolymers and biological lipids;
  • Boris Spivak (PhD 1970, Leningrad Polytechnical Institute, Russia): physics of mesoscopic systems, theory of superconductivity, classical kinetics;
  • David Thouless (PhD 1958, Cornell): topological quantum numbers, vortices in superfluids, the quantum Hall effect. Emeritus Professor.
  • Ping Ao (PhD 1990, Illinois): dynamics of topological singularities, quantum tunneling and coherence, systems biology, mainly DNA chips and information pathways. Adjunct Research Associate Professor from the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
  • Scott Dunham (PhD 1985, Stanford): multiscale modeling and simulation of nanostructure evolution and nanodevice behavior, including ab-initio, molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo and continuum; application to nanoscale transistor fabrication, nanowire conduction, and micro/nanophotonics. Adjunct Professor from the Department of Electrical Engineering.
  • Hannes Jonsson (PhD 1985, University of California, San Diego): development of theoretical and computational methods, applications to materials and surface chemistry. Adjunct Associate Professor from the Department of Chemistry.
  • William Reinhardt (PhD 1968, Harvard): nonlinear dynamics and solitons in Bose condensates, dynamics and thermodynamics of small clusters of water molecules. Adjunct Professor from the Department of Chemistry.

    Affiliate faculty members are:

  • Jennifer Chayes (PhD 1983, Princeton): mathematical physics, chiefly statistical physics and probability theory. Affiliate Professor from Microsoft Research.
  • John Wettlaufer (PhD 1991, University of Washington): surface phase transitions, crystal growth, ice physics, thin films, hydrodynamics and applied mathematics. Professor of Physics and Geophysics, Yale University.

    • Further details can be found under the individual names.

    Last revised September 2004.