New graduate student?
Welcome to the Shepherd Group
We are hiring undergraduate and graduate students! I hope you consider joining us.
Materials design using wavefunctions
Quantum computers and modern semiconductor physics require us to design materials whose electronic conductivity we can control with pressure. Unfortunately, the computer aided design of these materials requires solutions to the quantum mechanical Schrodinger equation (the same ones the quantum computers would be helping us solve!). Density functional theory, a popular technique, gets us most of the way but we want to go further. Our group is developing state-of-the-art wavefunction-based methods to help meet this need incorporating cutting edge data science and machine learning approaches.
Thermochemistry on a computer to save lab chemists time and money
We use theoretical chemistry to make predictions that can guide and eventually design experiments with our collaborators. Our goal is to show that systematic and rigorous data-driven analyses driven by calculations can solve some of chemist’s pressing concerns. We are particularly interested in experiments whose observational outcomes depend on spin, a fundamentally quantum mechanical quantity, as these can be challenging to disentangle. Currently, we work with two research groups in the Chemistry Department. With the Daly group, we investigate CO2 reduction chemistry as a way to ease the global CO2 crisis. We work with the Williams group on the mechanisms of boyrlnitrene chemistry and strong bond activation.
Lightning Talks & Presentations
Click here to see videos from our new YouTube channel about our research!