Office: 315 Allen Hall
Phone: 412–624–2756
Fax: 412–624–9163
Graduate Students
Brian D'Urso
Assistant Professor
Research: Nanoscience
Brian R. D'Urso received his Ph.D. in Physics in 2003 from Harvard University, where his work contributed to a new measurement of the electron g-factor, which currently provides the most accurate measurement of the fine structure constant. He went to Oak Ridge National Laboratory as a Wigner Fellow in 2003, and remained as a member of the ORNL Research Staff and then Senior Research Staff until 2008, where he lead a team developing nanostructured materials and novel fabrication techniques. In 2009, he became an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pittsburgh while remaining a joint faculty member at ORNL.
The D'Urso group research is currently focused on nanostructures, their mechanical properties, and their interaction with other systems. We are exploring the fabrication of and self-ordering in nanostructured oxide surfaces and membranes, as well as the interactions of fluids with nanostructured materials. Our projects include superhydrophobic materials and the interaction of nanostructures with gasses where the size scale of the nanostructure is comparable to the mean free path of molecules in the gas. Our group's research extends to systems involving nanomechanical oscillators, including nonlinear behavior, quantum nanomechanical effects, and oscillators coupled to magnetic qubits, with particular interest in the use of novel materials such as graphene and diamond nitrogen vacancy centers.
The D'Urso group research is currently focused on nanostructures, their mechanical properties, and their interaction with other systems. We are exploring the fabrication of and self-ordering in nanostructured oxide surfaces and membranes, as well as the interactions of fluids with nanostructured materials. Our projects include superhydrophobic materials and the interaction of nanostructures with gasses where the size scale of the nanostructure is comparable to the mean free path of molecules in the gas. Our group's research extends to systems involving nanomechanical oscillators, including nonlinear behavior, quantum nanomechanical effects, and oscillators coupled to magnetic qubits, with particular interest in the use of novel materials such as graphene and diamond nitrogen vacancy centers.
Selected Publications
- No papers have been listed.
