Georgia Institute of Technology Materials Science and Engineering

Dr. Susan B. Sinnott

Department Head and Professor

School of Materials Science and Engineering

Penn State

 Monday, March 13, 2017

4:00 p.m. GTMI/Callaway Bldg. Auditorium

Reception at 3:30 p.m. in the GTMI Atrium

Atomic-Scale Modeling of Surface Chemistry

Abstract:

The optimization and control of surface chemistry is important for material growth and interfacial structure. Computational methods allow provide new insights at the atomic and electronic structure levels that enhance our understanding of key aspects of surface chemistry. This presentation will review the evolution of some widely used computational methods and discuss their integration with experimental techniques. Illustrative applications in surface chemistry will be discussed within the context of layered or two-dimensional materials, carbide-derived carbon materials, and thin-film growth.

 Biography:

SUSAN B. SINNOTT received her B.S. in chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin and her Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Iowa State University. She was a National Research Council Postdoctoral Associate at the Naval Research Laboratory and was on the faculty at the University of Kentucky prior to joining the University of Florida in 2000. In 2015 Susan joined the Pennsylvania State University as Professor and Department Head of Materials Science and Engineering. Research in the Sinnott Group is focused on the application of computational methods at the electronic-structure and atomic scales to examine a variety of materials and processes. These include the design of new materials and the investigation of the influence of grain boundaries, point defects, dopants, and heterogeneous interfaces on material properties.

A major area of emphasis is the development of inventive methods to enable the modeling of new material systems at the atomic level. Susan is the author of over 250 technical publications, including over 220 refereed journal publications. She is a Fellow of the Materials Research Society, American Physical Society, American Ceramic Society, American Vacuum Society, and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Susan is a past President of the American Vacuum Society and is the Editor-in-Chief of Computational Materials Science.