Graeme Ackland's Homepage

I am Professor of Computer Simulation and Head of the Institute for Condensed Matter and Complex Systems at The School of Physics in the College of Science and Engineering at The University of Edinburgh

Materials Science

Fusion Materials

I work on radiation damage in steels to determine better materials and safe lifetimes for fission reactors. My main interest is computationally fast, yet accurate, models for interatomic forces. I am coordinating a new international project on Exascale computing for Fusion Science (NuFuSe).

High Pressure Crystallography

I study how simple materials behave under conditions of extreme pressure, using density functional theory calculation of materials at the Centre for Science at Extreme Conditions, using codes developed over the past 20 years as part of UKCP.

Martensites and Shape Memory

I also work on simulating martensitic phase transition, and try to understand the Shape Memory effect. These can be imaged and analysed using free software BallViewer .

Complexity

I coordinated the EPSRC complexity research cluster Novel approaches to realistic networks of interacting autonomes.

Simulating Ecology

"Daisyworld" is a coupled climate-biosphere model which shows how the biosphere adapts to climate change. Here's an applet. .

Cultural hitchhiking

Cultural markers (e.g. language) can spread if they become associated with beneficial technology (e.g. Farming in the Neolithic). This can be modelled using a reaction-diffusion type equation.

Statistical mechanics of soft matter

Using molecular dynamics and Lattice-Switch Monte Carlo I study how classical systems of hard and soft particles in suspension behave. This area is now deprecated due to lack of time.

Come to Edinburgh

PhD positions are available. Grants are available for highly qualified UK students, by applying to physics , and non-EU students through SUPA . Mention my name and area in your application if you want to work with me!

Living expenses for summer internships may be available for EU students. I can't pay travel or get you a work visa!

ICMCS has office/lab/computing space, and maybe travel, available for more senior visitors wanting to work with us.

Teaching

For many years I taught Quantum Physics . Please feel free to plagiarise the notes, or if you're kind you might even acknowledge me.

This year it's Thermodynamics . Also, I contribute poultry-themed questions to Physics Skills And you can try some difficult physics problems

Click here for older lecture notes and problems

My most recent publications list is also available.

Links

Empirical potentials:
- For a lot of metals and alloys
- For silicon
- Implemented via a molecular dynamics code MOLDY.
- At the NIST site If you want to try them, just send me email.

Electronic structure calculation:
Back in the real world, I'm married to Jane and we have a young son, James.
Here's my photo and here (from 1994) was my idea of fun
In my spare time, I go jogging or orienteering with Interlopers . And I used to write Diplomacy Puzzles

Written in native html by G. J. Ackland@ed.ac.uk
2502 JCMB, ICMCS School of Physics, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ