Barry Dunietz
The main thrust of the Dunietz research program is to study electron transport through molecular and nano-scale systems, explain relevant experimental observations, and point to schemes to improve the ability to tune their conductances.
The core challenge in nanoscience research is the further miniaturization of electronic devices. Molecular-based electronics is an exciting component of these efforts, offering a possible route for achieving the ultimate miniaturization limit and accomplishing the goal of "smart electronics.'' The merit of this field stems from the prospect of fabricating highly efficient electronic devices, in which their functionality is based on the unique properties of single molecules. The increasing interest in this field is reflected by the remarkable strides in the ability to fabricate molecular scale junctions and to measure their conductance properties.
Computational modeling of conductance plays a crucial role in this research area, in which insight at the most fundamental level on the electron transport process through the molecular and nano-scale system can be achieved.