Roberto Car
Encyclopedia
Roberto Car is an Italian physicist, who works on simulation of molecular dynamics phenomena.
, from 1977 to 1981 an assistant at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
, from 1981 to 1983 at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center
of IBM, from 1984 to 1990 associate professor for physics at SISSA
in Trieste
(in 1990/91 as full professor) and from 1991 to 1999 professor for physics at the University of Geneva
(and director of the IRRMA of the ETH Lausanne).
He went in 1999 to Princeton University
, where he became the Ralph W. Dornte professor for chemistry with a simultaneous appointment at the Material Sciences Institute of the university.
He is a professor in the Theory Department, of the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society
.
He is a member of the Italian Scientists and Scholars in North America Foundation.
the Dirac Medal for their development of the ab initio molecular dyamics simulation method. The method combines the quantum mechanical density functional theory
for calculation of electronic structure with methods of molecular dynamics for the simulation of classical ("Newtonian") atomic movements.They call their procedure ab initio molecular dynamics ; it is also well-known as the Car-Parrinello method
. The procedure was jointly developed by both men in 1985, when they were in Trieste. Their procedure has found various applications in solid-state physics, biochemistry, chemical physics, and materials science
.
He received in 1990 the Hewlett-Packard prize of the European Physical Society, in 1995 the Rahman Prize of the American Physical Society, where he is a Fellow, and in 2009 with Parinello the Sidney Fernbach Award
of the IEEE.
In 2008, he received the Humboldt Foundation Research Award for senior US scientists.
In 2007, a birthday symposium was held at MIT.
He received the Aneesur Rahman
prize in computational physics. The Aneesur Rahman Prize is the highest honor given by the American Physical Society
for work in computational physics
.
Life
Car studied physics and attained a doctorate in 1971 in nuclear technology at the Politecnico di Milano. He was in 1973/74 a postdoc at the University of MilanUniversity of Milan
The University of Milan is a higher education institution in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Europe, with about 62,801 students, a teaching and research staff of 2,455 and a non-teaching staff of 2,200....
, from 1977 to 1981 an assistant at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
The École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne is one of the two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology and is located in Lausanne, Switzerland.The school was founded by the Swiss Federal Government with the stated mission to:...
, from 1981 to 1983 at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center
Thomas J. Watson Research Center
The Thomas J. Watson Research Center is the headquarters for the IBM Research Division.The center is on three sites, with the main laboratory in Yorktown Heights, New York, 38 miles north of New York City, a building in Hawthorne, New York, and offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts.- Overview :The...
of IBM, from 1984 to 1990 associate professor for physics at SISSA
Sissa
Sissa is a comune in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 100 km northwest of Bologna and about 20 km northwest of Parma....
in Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
(in 1990/91 as full professor) and from 1991 to 1999 professor for physics at the University of Geneva
University of Geneva
The University of Geneva is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland.It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin, as a theological seminary and law school. It remained focused on theology until the 17th century, when it became a center for Enlightenment scholarship. In 1873, it...
(and director of the IRRMA of the ETH Lausanne).
He went in 1999 to Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, where he became the Ralph W. Dornte professor for chemistry with a simultaneous appointment at the Material Sciences Institute of the university.
He is a professor in the Theory Department, of the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society
Max Planck Society
The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science is a formally independent non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes publicly funded by the federal and the 16 state governments of Germany....
.
He is a member of the Italian Scientists and Scholars in North America Foundation.
Awards
He received in 2009 with Michele ParrinelloMichele Parrinello
Michele Parrinello is an Italian physicist particularly known for his work in molecular dynamics...
the Dirac Medal for their development of the ab initio molecular dyamics simulation method. The method combines the quantum mechanical density functional theory
Density functional theory
Density functional theory is a quantum mechanical modelling method used in physics and chemistry to investigate the electronic structure of many-body systems, in particular atoms, molecules, and the condensed phases. With this theory, the properties of a many-electron system can be determined by...
for calculation of electronic structure with methods of molecular dynamics for the simulation of classical ("Newtonian") atomic movements.They call their procedure ab initio molecular dynamics ; it is also well-known as the Car-Parrinello method
Car-Parrinello method
The Car–Parrinello method is a type of ab initio molecular dynamics, usually employing periodic boundary conditions, planewave basis sets, and density functional theory, proposed by Roberto Car and Michele Parrinello in 1985, who were subsequently awarded the Dirac Medal by ICTP in 2009.In...
. The procedure was jointly developed by both men in 1985, when they were in Trieste. Their procedure has found various applications in solid-state physics, biochemistry, chemical physics, and materials science
Materials science
Materials science is an interdisciplinary field applying the properties of matter to various areas of science and engineering. This scientific field investigates the relationship between the structure of materials at atomic or molecular scales and their macroscopic properties. It incorporates...
.
He received in 1990 the Hewlett-Packard prize of the European Physical Society, in 1995 the Rahman Prize of the American Physical Society, where he is a Fellow, and in 2009 with Parinello the Sidney Fernbach Award
Sidney Fernbach Award
The Sidney Fernbach Award established in 1992 by the IEEE Computer Society, in memory of Sidney Fernbach, one of the pioneers in the development and application of high performance computers for the solution of large computational problems as the Division Chief for the Computation Division at...
of the IEEE.
In 2008, he received the Humboldt Foundation Research Award for senior US scientists.
In 2007, a birthday symposium was held at MIT.
He received the Aneesur Rahman
Aneesur Rahman
Aneesur Rahman pioneered the application of computational methods to physical systems. His 1964 paperon liquid argon studied a system of 864 argon atoms on a CDC 3600 computer, utilizing a Lennard-Jones potential. His algorithms still form the basis for many codes written today...
prize in computational physics. The Aneesur Rahman Prize is the highest honor given by the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
for work in computational physics
Computational physics
Computational physics is the study and implementation of numerical algorithms to solve problems in physics for which a quantitative theory already exists...
.
External links
- "Perspective on: Imagination and optimism in scientific discovery", News at Princeton, Kitta MacPherson, June 28, 2010
- Website of Roberto Car at Princeton University
- Career summary with selected publications, pdf data
- Portrait of him and Parrinello at ICTP
- Dirac Medal
- Portrait on the occasion of the Sidney Fernbach Award