photo Dionisios Margetis

Professor

Department of Mathematics &
Institute for Physical Science and Technology,
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland 20742, USA


Affiliations:
Center for Scientific Computation and Mathematical Modeling &
Maryland NanoCenter

Google Scholar Profile

Office: 2106 Kirwan Hall
Phone : (++1-)301-405-5455
FAX : (++1-)301-314-0827
E- address : diom (followed by umd and then edu)

Education

  • Diploma, (summa cum laude): Electrical Eng., National Technical University of Athens, 1992
  • SM: Applied Physics, Harvard University, 1994
  • PhD: Applied Physics, Harvard University, 1999

    Awards/Grants and Honors
  • Ordway Distinguished Lecturer and Visitor, University of Minnesota, 2021-2022 (visit transferred from 2019-20 due to covid restrictions).
  • 2018-19 Research and Scholarship Award (RASA), University of Maryland
    Project title: ``On plasmons and demons: The mathematics of light propagation in nanoscale materials''.
  • Plenary Speaker, SIAM Conference of Mathematical Aspects of Materials Science, Portland, OR, July 2018.
  • Research Award, DMS-1412769, Div. Mathematical Sciences (DMS), National Science Foundation (NSF),
    08/2015 - 07/2019. Principal Investigator (PI). Other PI's: Frederic Gibou (Univ. California, Santa Barbara),
    Christian Ratsch (Univ. California, Los Angeles).
    Project title: ``Collaborative Research: Modeling and Simulation of Out-of-Equilibrium Processes in Epitaxy''.
  • Research Award, DMS-1517162, Div. Mathematical Sciences (DMS), National Science Foundation (NSF),
    07/2015-06/2019. Principal Investigator (PI). Project title: ``Bose-Einstein Condensation Beyond Mean Field:
    A Partial Differential Equation Approach to Quantum Fluctuations''.
  • 2013-14 Research and Scholarship Award (RASA), University of Maryland
    Project title: ``From ultra-cold atoms to strange fluids, and back: Modeling and analysis of quantum fluctuations in Bose-Einstein condensation''.
  • Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER), DMS-0847587, Div. Mathematical Sciences (DMS), National Science Foundation (NSF),
    08/2009-07/2014. Project title: ``Thermodynamic and Kinetic Approaches for Epitaxial Material Systems''
  • Plenary Speaker, SIAM Washington-Baltimore Section, Fall Meeting 2011.
  • Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching, College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, University of Maryland, 2011
  • Excellence Certificate, for outstanding service in Education Outreach, Materials Research Science & Engineering Center (MRSEC),
    Univ. Maryland, 2008
  • Dean's Prize for Excellence in Graduate Education, School of Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), 2006
  • Graduate Teaching Award, School of Science, M.I.T., 2004
  • Derek Bok Distinction in Undergraduate Teaching, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, 2001
  • Elected Full Member, Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, 2000
  • 3rd Prize, Student Paper Competition, North Amer. Radio Sci. Meeting, Montreal, Canada, 1997
  • 3rd Prize, Student Paper Contest, IEEE Antennas & Propagation Soc. International Symposium, Baltimore, MD, 1996
  • C.C. Kao Fellow: top graduate student, Division of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 1994-'95
  • Thomaidion Award: top graduate in Electr. Eng., National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), 1993
  • M. Stai Fellow, Kapodistrian Univ. of Athens, 1987-1992, 1993-1996
  • State Scholarships Foundation Award, for distinction in entrance examinations, 1987

    Research Interests

  • Mathematical Modeling & Applied Analysis: Asymptotics for ODEs & PDEs, Integral Equations;
    Non-Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics; Analytical Methods in Classical & Quantum Mechanics

  • Application areas of current interest:
    Evolution of Materials Surfaces & Interfaces with Microstructures.
    Electrodynamics/Plasmonics and Hydrodynamics on 2D Materials (graphene, black phosphorus, TMDs).
    Quantum Dynamics of Bose-Einstein Condensation.
    Quantum Information & Computation.
    Classical Wave Diffraction & Propagation near Boundaries; Antenna Theory.

    Professor Margetis's research lies broadly in materials modeling and applied analysis, at the triple point of applied mathematics, theoretical physics, and materials science. The research topics are motivated by laboratory experiments and primarily explore the connection of continuum-like laws (e.g., PDEs for macroscopic variables) to discrete or microscopic models (e.g., ODE systems or microscopic Hamiltonian dynamics) in classical and quantum settings. Of particular interest are microscale effects that leave their signatures even at large scales.

    Topics of current, active interest (with links to publications):

  • Aspects of epitaxial growth and relaxation:
    Morphological evolution of crystal surfaces below the roughening temperature;
    free-boundary problems with microscale effects

  • Stability of nanoparticles:
    Study of shape fluctuations of nanoparticles by use of analytical tools

  • Bose-Einstein condensation of atomic gases:
    Nonlocal macroscopic laws beyond the nonlinear Schrödinger (``Gross-Pitaevskii'') equation;
    effects of atomic pair excitations

  • Decoherence in quantum computing via scattering theory

  • Electromagnetic wave theory and applications

  • Growth phenomena via a prototypical advection-diffusion problem;
    analysis of a class of first-kind Fredholm integral equations.

  • Atomistic study of behavior of materials under extreme pressure

    Students

    Graduate students:
  • University of Maryland, College Park:

    Current students:

    -- Mr. Stephen Sorokanich, graduate student, Applied Math & Scientific Computation (AMSC) program

    -- Mr. Ian Johnson, graduate student, Applied Math & Scientific Computation (AMSC) program

    Past students:

    --- Mr. Joshua Schneider, Appl. Math. & Sci. Computation (AMSC) program:
    PhD earned in 08/2016.
    Thesis (PDF):
    Multiscale modeling and simulation of stepped crystal surfaces    .
    Past position: Postdoctoral associate, Mathematics, UCLA
    Current position: Assistant Prof., Science, Technology and Mathematics, Gallaudet University.

    -- Ms. Kanna Nakamura, Mathematics;
    PhD in Mathematics earned in 08/2014.
    Thesis in PDF:
    Evolution of faceted crystal surfaces: Modeling and analysis    .
    Co-advised by Prof. A. Mellet (Math., UMd).
    Current position: Health/Financial Policy Analyst, Arkansas Center for Health Improvement.
    Past position: Mathematician/Economist/Statistician,
    Office of Financial Market, Domestic Finance, Department of the Treasury (Feb. 2015-July 2017).

    --- Mr. Paul Patrone, Department of Physics;
    PhD in Physics earned in 06/2013.
    Thesis in PDF:
    Modeling of interfaces: Applications in polymer and surface physics    .
    Co-advised by Prof. T. L. Einstein (Physics, UMd) and Dr. G. M. Gallatin (formerly at NIST).
    Past positions: IMA Postdoctoral fellow (2013-15).
    Current position: (Permanent) Research scientist, NIST (Aug. 2015-present).

    --Mr. John Quah, Appl. Math. & Sci. Computation (AMSC) program:
    PhD earned in 08/2009.
    Thesis in PDF:
    A macroscale perspective of near-equilibrium relaxation of stepped crystal surfaces    .
    Positions: Faculty, Mathematics, Montgomery College, Takoma Park.

    -- Ms. Amy Finkbiner, AMSC program:
    PhD earned in 12/2007.
    Thesis in PDF:
    Global phenomena from local rules: Peer-to-peer networks and crystal steps     .
    Co-advised (for work on networks) by Prof. J. Yorke (Mathematics & Physics, & IPST).
    Current position: Predictive modeling analyst at Perspecta.
    Past Position: Research staff, Lockheed Martin, PA.


  • M.I.T., Department of Mathematics:

    --- Mr. Pak-Wing Fok, Applied Mathematics:
    PhD earned in 06/2006.
    Thesis (PDF):
    Simulations of axisymmetric stepped surfaces with a facet     .
    Co-advised by Prof. R. R. Rosales (Appl. Math., MIT).
    Past Position: von Karman instructor in Comp. & Appl. Math., CalTech.
    Current position: Associate Prof. (tenured), Dept. of Mathematical Sciences, Univ. Delaware.

    Other students, co-advised informally at M.I.T.:
    -- Mr. Nikos Savva, Applied Math. PhD earned in 09/2007 - now Lecturer in Applied Mathematics, Cardiff University, UK
    -- Mr. Jaehyuk Choi, Applied Math. PhD earned in 06/2005 - currently with the Faculty of Peking University HSBC Business School, China

    Undergraduate students:
  • University of Maryland, College Park:

    Mathematics, Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), NSF:

    -- Ms. Qurat Ul Ain Khan, U. North Carolina-Ashville.
    Project: Bound states of the Schroedinger eq.
    Summer 2015.

    -- Mr. Kyle Liss, Dickinson College.
    Project: Scattering theory for quantum computing.
    Summer 2015.

    Materials Research Science & Engineering Center (MRSEC) :

    -- Mr. Li Peng Liang, Montgomery College; now at Stanford.
    Project: Modeling and analysis of crystal-step interactions.
    Summer 2009, Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program.

    -- Mr. Jerrod Young, Norfolk State University (major: Optical Engineering);
    now grad. student in College of Optical Sciences, Univ. Arizona.
    Project: Modeling and numerics for crystal surfaces under stress.
    Summer 2008, Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program.

    Synergistic activities in the University of Maryland, College Park