Placement Information
Year you started your placement
2016
Placement period
May – August, September – December
Supervisor’s name
Philipp Hansmann
Project Details
Overview
I am working in a research group led by Philipp Hansmann in the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research. Our group looks at the electronic structure of correlated materials using computational tools and methods such as density functional theory and dynamical mean field theory.
Project objectives
The general goal of my project is to calculate the band structure of surfaces of certain transition metal oxides. I will be deriving model Hamiltonians for these materials and using the models to look for interesting properties of the materials, as well as looking at the response functions of the systems. I am also computing molecular vibration modes for in-house experimentalists such that they can identify the composition of materials having measured their Raman spectra.
Research outcomes
Project status
Completed
Expected completion date
12/21/2016
chinjeanchen-2016-presentation
My Co-op Experience at MPI
Why did you apply for a placement with Max Planck Institute?
I applied for a placement with the institute as it is a prestigious research society, and I wanted to catch a glimpse of research in a European setting. It would be a valuable experience to help me decide whether I want to stay in North America for graduate school and beyond.
What recommendations do you have for students who wish to participate in MPI-UBC exchange program?
I would recommend everyone to take a course in solid state physics! Learning some German beforehand would also be useful.
I would also encourage everyone to travel on the weekends, but take some rest weekends so that you don’t burn out too quickly and become unproductive at work.
Tell us about your travels and cultural experiences in Germany and the rest of the Europe
We have a group of UBC student at the institute, and we travel together almost every weekend. So far we’ve been all over the place – Zurich, Rome, Milan, Prague, Paris, and various cities within Germany. Renting a car between 4 or 5 people always makes for a cheap and fun road trip. Traveling solo has also been a surreal experience, meeting new people on the road.
