Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics

Research Areas

  • Wave Propagation in Random Media with Applications to Wave-Based Imaging and Free-Space Optical Communications
  • Inverse Problems for Hyperbolic, Elliptic, and Parabolic Partial Differential Equations
  • Data-Driven Reduced Order Modeling and Applications to Inverse Problems
  • Scientific Computing

Additional Information

  • Professional Experience
    • George P. Livanos Professor of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, July 2024 -
    • Peter Field Collegiate Professor, Department of Mathematics, University of Michigan, 2013-2024
    • Noah Harding Professor, Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics, Rice University, 2007-2013
    • Associate Professor, Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics, Rice University, 2001-2007
    • Assistant Professor, Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics, Rice University, 1996-2001
  • Honors & Awards
    • 2023 Election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
    • 2022 Rothschild Distinguished Visiting Fellowship (for the year 2023), Isaac Newton Institute of
    • Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge University, UK
    • 2022 Plenary Speaker, SIAM Imaging Science Conference
    • 2020 Elected to the SIAM Board of Trustees for two terms: (2021-2023) and (2024-2025).
    • 2019 Editor in chief, SIAM Journal Multiscale Modeling and Simulations. First term: (2019-2022)
    • and reappointed for second term (2023-2025)
    • 2018 SIAM Fellow
    • 2018 Distinguished Women in Mathematics lecture, University of Texas, Austin
    • 2017 The AWM-SIAM Sonia Kovalevsky prize
    • 2015 Simons Fellow in Mathematics
    • 2014 Elected to the SIAM Council. Served two terms: 2014-2017 & 2017-2020
    • 2013 Peter Field Collegiate chair, University of Michigan.
    • 2012 SIAM SIGEST award.
    • 2010 NSA Research Professorship, MSRI Berkeley
    • 2007 Noah Harding chair, Rice University
    • 2007 Plenary speaker, AMS West Section Meeting, Tucson, AZ.
    • 2004 Invited topical speaker, SIAM Annual meeting, Portland, OR
    • 1996-99 NSF Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
    • 1994-96 NSF Graduate Research Traineeship
    • 1992-93 Stanford NASA Ames Global Change fellowship
    • 1983 Laureate of the national contest \Traian Lalescu" between all Romanian Physics Universities
    • 1982 Laureate of the Romanian National Olympiad in Physics
  • Education
    • PhD (1996) Stanford University. Scientific Computing and Computational Mathematics.
    • MS (1994) Stanford University. Scientific Computing and Computational Mathematics.
    • BS (1987) University of Bucharest, Romania. Department of Applied Physics.

Research Areas

  • Devices
  • Materials
  • Nanoscience
  • Neuroscience & Neuroengineering
  • Sensing
  • Nanophotonics
  • Optics
  • Silicon Photonics

Additional Information

  • Professional Affiliations
    • Advisory Board Member, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Rice University (2013- )
    • Scientific Board Member, the New York Academy of Sciences Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists (2013- )
    • Co-Founder and Board Member, PicoLuz, Inc. (2009- )
    • Board Member, CRANN Nanoscience Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (2012- )
  • Honors & Awards
    • Elected to National Academy of Sciences, 2019
    • Comstock Prize in Physics
    • 2019 IEEE Photonics Award
    • R. W. Wood Prize, 2017
    • Thomson-Reuter, top 1% most highly cited researcher in Physics every year since 2014
    • IEEE Fellow, 2013
    • MacArthur Fellow, 2010
    • Blavatnik Award, NY State Academy of Science, 2010
    • Optical Society of America (OSA) Fellow, 2007
    • Fulbright Fellowship, 2007
    • IBM Faculty Award, 2006
    • NSF CAREER Award, 2004
  • Professional Experience
    • Eugene Higgins Professor of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, School of Electrical Engineering, Columbia Nano Initiative, 2015-present
    • Given Professor of Engineering, Cornell University, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2013-2015
    • Associate Professor, Cornell University, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2007-2013
    • Assistant Professor, Cornell University, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2001 – 2007
    • Postdoctoral Associate, MIT, Department of Material Science, 1999 – 2001

Research Areas

  • Computational Engineering Science
  • Materials
  • Modeling & Simulation
  • Nanoscience
  • Density Functional Theory
  • Dynamical Mean-Field Theory
  • Energy Generation/Storage Materials
  • Strongly Correlated Electrons
  • Phonon Interactions
  • Actinides
  • Transition-Metal Oxides
  • Monolayer Materials

Additional Information

  • Professional Experience
    • Associate Professor, Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, July 2013 - Present
    • Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, July 2008 - June 2013
  • Honors & Awards
    • DARPA Young Faculty Award, 2013
    • NSF Career Award, 2012
    • American Physical Society
    • Materials Research Society

Research Areas

  • Laser Crystallization of Si Films
  • Energy-Beam-Induced Melting and Solidification of Thin Films
  • Phase Transformations & Nucleation in Condensed Systems
  • ELA (Excimer-Laser Annealing), SLS (Sequential Lateral Solidification), and SBC (Spot-Beam Crystallization) of Si Films
  • Polycrystalline Si Films for Thin-Film Transistor (TFT)-Based Active-Matrix Displays

Additional Information

  • Professional Experience
    • Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Columbia University, 2002 - Present
    • Chair of Materials Science and Engineering Program, Columbia University, 2002 - 2014
    • Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Columbia University, 1995 - 2002
    • Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Columbia University, 1991 - 1994
  • Honors & Awards
    • Bohmisch Physical Society
    • Sigma Xi
    • Alpha Sigma Mu
    • Materials Research Society
    • American Physical Society

Research Areas

Development of Mathematical Formulations That Are Required for Studies of Plasmas That Have a Non-Trivial Dependence on All Three Spatial Coordinates

Additional Information

  • Professional Experience
    • Professor, Applied Physics, Columbia, 1994 –
    • Professor, Physics, College of William and Mary, 1986 – 1994
    • Research Physicist, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, 1974 – 1986
    • Officer, U.S. Air Force, 1970 – 1974
  • Professional Affiliations
    • American Physical Society, Division of Plasma Physics
    • Scientific Member, German Max Planck Society
  • Education
    • PhD, Physics, Cornell University
    • BA, Physics, University of Virginia
  • Honors & Awards
    • Chair, APS Division of Plasma Physics, 1998 – 2001
    • President, University Fusion Association, 1992
    • Editorial Board, Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, 1992-95
    • Associate Editor of the Physics of Plasmas, 1992-94
    • Secretary/Treasurer of APS Division of Plasma Physics, 1989-1990
    • Scientific member, German Max Planck Society (Auswärtiges Wissenschafliches Mitglied der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft), 1989
    • Fellow, American Physical Society, 1982
    • First U.S.-Japan fusion-theory visiting professorship, Nagoya University, 1982

Research Areas

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)
  • Computational Science and Engineering
  • Computational Imaging
  • Mathematical Modeling
  • Scientific Machine Learning
  • Optimal Control
  • Control Theory
  • Real and Complex Analysis
  • Harmonic Analysis
  • Approximation Theory
  • Functional Analysis and Operator Theory
  • Numerical Analysis
  • Partial Differential Equations
  • Probability and Statistics
  • Computational (Mathematical) Biology
  • Data Science
  • Network Science
  • Numerical Analysis
  • Novel Wave Phenomena in Heterogeneous, Nonlinear, and Random Media
  • Quantum Computing
  • Image Reconstruction

Additional Information

  • Education
    • PhD, Applied Mathematics, Columbia University
    • MS, School of Physics, Peking University
    • BS, Nanjing University