Image: His Lecture, Machine Learning Based Ab-Initio Molecular Dynamics, was presented via Zoom on April 1. Prof. Roberto Car is the Ralph W. Dornte Professor in Chemistry at Princeton University, and Professor of Chemistry in the Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials. In 2016, he was elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences for his distinguished achievements in scientific research. Among his many awards he has received the A. Rahman Prize of the American Physical Society and the Dirac Medal and Prize of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics. The motivation of Dr. Car’s research group is to understand the atomistic and the electronic structure and dynamics in materials: “While the range of problems accessible to well established computational methodologies continues to expand following the extraordinary development of computers, novel theoretical and computational tools are still needed to solve key problems in materials physics and chemistry. In this context our research focuses at extending the sampling capability of molecular dynamics methods, at overcoming current limitations of density functional theory, at including nuclear quantum effects in molecular simulations, and at modeling electronic excitations in connection with spectroscopic and transport studies.” Professor Car received his Ph.D. in Physics from Technical University of Milan in 1971. The Chhabra-Landau Lecture Series celebrates Professor David P. Landau’s pioneering work in applying Monte Carlo computer simulations. This work deepens our understanding of phase transitions and, more generally, condensed matter physics. The Series also celebrates the role Professor Landau played in founding the Center for Simulational Physics at UGA, and building a diverse and welcoming community of students at the Center. The Series focuses on the deep connection between physics and computer science, particularly the use of computing or information theoretic ideas, as fundamental tools for physicists to develop novel insights about our world. The Chhabra-Landau Lecture Series has been endowed by Dr. Ashvin B. Chhabra (MS Physics, UGA 1984; PhD Applied Physics, Yale 1989) in honor of his thesis advisor, Professor Landau, and acknowledges the hospitality and friendship the faculty and students of UGA accorded Dr. Chhabra when he first came to Athens from overseas as a graduate student.
