Miller Research Fellows 2003-2006

Yi Cui
Ph.D. - Harvard University
Berkeley Department: Chemistry
Sponsor: Paul Alivisatos

Dr. Cui's research is in semiconductor nanostructures, involving the studies on size and shape control of colloidal nanocrystal growth, self-assembly into large scale regular arrays, and electronic properties of single and assembled nanostructures.
ycui@berkeley.edu

Ioana Dumitriu
Ph.D. - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Berkeley Department: Mathematics
Sponsor: James Demmel

Dr. Dumitriu's primary research interest is in the field of random matrices, and in particular the classical beta-Hermite (Gaussian) and beta-Laguerre (Wishart) ensembles, with applications ranging from log-gas theory to mechanical statistics and computational biology.  Her approach involves applying numerical linear algebra algorithms stochastically and using combinatorial tools to study eigenvalue statistics, in an attempt to provide a unified, arbitrary-beta theory.  Secondary interest include two-person combinatorial and probabilistic games.
dumitriu@math.berkeley.edu

Eric Ford
Ph.D. - Princeton University
Berkeley Department: Astronomy
Sponsors: Geoff Marcy & Eugene Chiang

Dr. Ford studies the planetary systems recently discovered around nearby stars.  He analyzes the unexpected orbital properties of these planetary systems to better understand the history of planet formation, and he conducts large numerical simulations to compare with observational data and constrain theoretical models.  Additionally, Eric investigates a variety of techniques for analyzing observational data to detect and characterize extra solar planets.  This research helps improve the interpretation of current data from ground-based radial velocity observations and influences the design and planning for future space missions such as the Space Interferometry Mission and Terrestrial Planet Finder.
eford@astro.berkeley.edu

Subhadeep Gupta
Ph.D. - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Berkeley Department: Physics
Sponsor: Dan Stamper-Kurn

Dr. Gupta's research is in the field of experimental atomic physics.  He will be working on systems of ultra cold (microKelvin) atoms trapped within the confines of high finesse optical cavities.  These novel systems offer unique opportunities of quantum state manipulation at the single atom and single photon level.
deep@socrates.berkeley.edu

Anat Herskovits
Ph.D. - Weizmann Institute of Science
Berkeley Department: Molecular & Cell Biology
Sponsor: Daniel Portnoy

Dr. Herskovits is studying the interactions between the mammalian innate-immune system and the pathogenic bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, focusing on how the innate immune system recognize L. monocytogenes infection, and what mechanisms L. monocytogenes use to subvert the host immune response.
anath@berkeley.edu

Munira Khalil
Ph.D. - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Berkeley Department: Chemistry
Sponsors: Charles Shank / Stephen Leone

Dr. Khalil is interested in understanding structural changes accompanying biophysical processes in solution.  I hope to study time evolving molecular structures using a combination of time-resolved x-ray and optical spectroscopic tools.
mkhalil@lbl.gov

Ovidu Savin
Ph.D. - University of Texas
Berkeley Department: Mathematics
Sponsor: Craig Evans

Dr. Savin's field of interest is Partial Differential Equations.  His research interests are:  free boundary problems, optimal transportation, Monge Ampere equation, phase transitions, elliptic regularity theory.
osavin@math.berkeley.edu

Alice Shapley
Ph.D. - California Institute of Technology
Berkeley Department: Astronomy
Sponsor: Chung-Pei Ma

Alice's research is devoted to understanding how galaxies form in the early universe. She is particularly interested in how supernova feedback resulting from active star-formation affects the evolution of starbursting galaxies and the conditions in the surrounding intergalactic medium. She also studies how the stellar mass and heavy element content in star-forming galaxies evolves during the first few billion years in the history of the Universe. In addressing these questions, her research is primarily based on sensitive optical and infrared imaging and spectroscopic observations from both ground and space-based facilities.
ashapley@astro.berkeley.edu

Sergio Speziale
Ph.D. - Princeton University
Berkeley Department: Earth & Planetary Science
Sponsor: Raymond Jeanloz & Jill Banfield

Dr. Speziale plans to study the high-pressure elastic properties of minerals of the Earth Mantle.  He will focus his attention on the effects of chemical substitutions on the elasticity of solid solutions series, and  will study the mechanical instabilities at the onset of structural phase transitions.  He is  also interested in the study of the relationships between structure, composition and mechanical behavior of protein cry stalls in response to changes of the physical and chemical conditions in which they are crystallized and stored.
speziale@berkeley.edu

Alex Thompson
Ph.D. - York University
Berkeley Department: ESPM
Sponsor: Ron Amundson

Dr. Thompson intends to devote her Miller Fellowship to the study of emissions into the atmosphere of N2O, and important green house gas.  Using stable isotopes of nitrogen and oxygen as a diagnostic, Dr. Thompson is interested in studying how N2O emissions might change under an altered climate scenario.
alex@nature.berkeley.edu

Taizan Watari
Ph.D. - University of Tokyo
Berkeley Department: Physics
Sponsors: Lawrence Hall & Hitoshi Murayama

Dr. Watari is working at Department of Physics. He majors in theoretical particle physics, and works on model building beyond the standard model, particle cosmology, string phenomenology and quantum field theory. What he is particularly interested in are models of inflation, and the origin of the structure among three families of quarks and leptons.
twatari@lbl.gov