Chris A. Marianetti

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MATERIALS SCIENCE AND OF APPLIED PHYSICS AND APPLIED MATHEMATICS

1144 S.W. Mudd
Mail Code 4701

Tel(212) 854-9478
Fax(212) 854-8257

Chris Marianetti and his group's research focuses on computing materials behavior from the first-principles of quantum mechanics, including mechanical, electronic, and magnetic phenomena. Particular emphasis is placed on strongly correlated electron materials where density functional theory (DFT) computations tend to break down qualitatively. One of the Marianetti group's major research thrusts is developing a more advanced formalism which is based upon an integration of the dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) and DFT. Other formal developments include first-principles-based approaches for studying extreme length and timescales which would traditionally be computationally formidable. Applications span the periodic table, from monolayers to transition metal oxides to actinides, with particular emphasis on materials related to energy storage and conversion.

Research Interests

Density functional theory, Dynamical mean-field theory, energy generation/storage materials, strongly correlated electrons, Phonon interactions, actinides, transition-metal oxides, monolayer materials.

Marianetti has a diverse academic background spanning numerous disciplines. He did his B.S. in Welding Engineering at The Ohio State University, and, during this time, also spent one year at the General Motors Technical Center working on robotic resistance welding.  He later earned a M.S. in Welding Engineering at The Ohio State University. His thesis research dealt with weld-metal hydrogen-assisted cracking, a chronic problem in many high-strength steel weldments. He then moved in a different direction, earning a PhD in computational Materials Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His thesis research focused on applying first-principles methods, such as Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Dynamical Mean-Field Theory (DMFT), to energy storage materials. He continued developing/applying DFT and DMFT to strongly correlated electron systems in a post-doctoral position in condensed matter physics at Rutgers University. Following Rutgers, he moved to a second post-doctoral position at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) where he utilized LLNL's world-class supercomputers to apply DFT and DMFT to plutonium.  He then moved to the Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics at Columbia University, where he is currently an Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

  • Postdoctoral Researcher, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, July 2007-July 2008
  • Postdoctoral Researcher, Rutgers University, Feb 2004-June 2007

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • Assoc. Prof., Dept. of App. Physics and App. Math, Columbia Univ., July 2013-Present
  • Asst. Prof., Dept. of App. Physics and App. Math, Columbia Univ., July 2008-June 2013

HONORS & AWARDS

  • DARPA Young Faculty Award, 2013
  • NSF Career Award, 2012
  • American Physical Society
  • Materials Research Society

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

  • Compositional phase stability of strongly correlated electron materials within DFT+U, E.B. Isaacs and C.A. Marianetti, Phys. Rev. B 95, 045141 (2017)
  • Electronic correlations in monolayer VS2, E.B. Isaacs and C.A. Marianetti, Phys. Rev. B 94, 035120 (2016)
  • Influence of quantum confinement and strain on orbital polarization of four-layer LaNiO3 superlattices: a DFT+DMFT study, H. Park, A.J. Millis, and C.A. Marianetti, Phys. Rev. B 93, 235109 (2016)
  • Pressure-resistant intermediate valence in Kondo insulator SmB6, N.P. Butch, J. Paglione, P. Chow, Y. Xiao, C.A. Marianetti, C.H. Booth, J.R. Jeffries, Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 156401 (2016)
  • New class of planar ferroelectric Mott insulators via first principles design, C. Kim, H. Park, and C.A. Marianetti, Phys. Rev. B 92, 235122 (2015)
  • Density functional versus spin-density functional and the choice of correlated subspace in multi-variable effective action theories of electronic structure, H. Park, A.J. Millis, and C.A. Marianetti, Phys. Rev. B 92, 035146 (2015)
  • Density Functional plus Dynamical Mean-Field Theory of the Spin-Crossover Molecule Fe(phen)2(NCS)2, J. Chen, A.J. Millis, and C.A. Marianetti, Phys. Rev. B 91, 241111 (2015)
  • Origin of Spinel Nanocheckerboards via First Principles, M. Kornbluth and C.A. Marianetti, Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 226102 (2015)