Education:

·Ph.D. Thesis: defended on August 16, 2005.

Dissertation: “Hybrid Density Functional Studies of Bulk Actinide Oxides”

Physics and Astronomy Department

Rice University, Houston, TX

 

·Ph.D. Candidacy: obtained in the summer of 2000

Dissertation: “Experimental Studies of the NaK 3¹P and 1³D States”

Physics and Astronomy Department

Rice University, Houston, TX

 

·Enrolled in the graduate program, academic year 1997-1998

Physics Department

Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA

 

·M.S. Physics, June 1997

Dissertation: “Intracluster ion-molecule reactions induced by synchrotron radiation in allyl bromide homogenous clusters” (Research work done at Laboratoire de PhotoPhysique Moléculaire and at the LURE synchrotron radiation facility, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France)

University of Bucharest, Romania

 

·Licentiate Diploma in Physics, June 1996

University of Bucharest, Romania

 

Research Interests:

October 2005 – Present: Understanding the Wellbore - Reservoir Interface

·Structural rock mechanics, fluid flow through porous materials, solute transport.

 

September 2002 – Present: Electronic Structure Calculations

·Hybrid DFT study of the metal-insulator transition in MnO, NiO.

·Lattice distortions in bulk actinide dioxides.

·General trends in bulk AnO₂ (An = Th - Fm): a hybrid DFT study.

·Basis set effects and orbital ordering in bulk actinide oxides.

·Assessment of new density functionals on bulk actinide oxides.

·Hybrid DFT studies of lattice defects and magnetic ordering in plutonium oxides.

·Many-body perturbation theory study of bulk silicon.

 

January 1999 – August 2002: Ultracold Collisions

·Efficient production of ultracold molecules through stimulated Raman adiabatic passage.

·Measurement of the photoassociation rate of a quantum degenerate gas of lithium atoms.

·Coherent photoassociation of a quantum degenerate gas.

·Growth and collapse of a Bose-Einstein condensate with attractive interactions.

·Two-photon photoassociation of ultracold degenerate ⁷Li atoms.

 

January 1998 – August 1998: Spectroscopy of NaK Molecules

·Experimental studies of the NaK 3¹P and 1³D states, using two-photon cascade techniques.

 

Spring of 1997: Time-of-Flight Spectroscopy of Molecular Clusters

·Experimental study of dissociative processes induced by synchrotron radiation in homogenous molecular clusters, using threshold photoelectron-photoion coincidences.

 

Publications:

·Covalency in the Actinide Dioxides,  I. D. Prodan, G. E. Scuseria, and R. L. Martin, Phys. Rev. B, 76, 033101 (2007).

·Mott Transition of MnO under Pressure: Comparison of Correlated Band Theories, D. Kasinathan, J. Kunes, K. Koepernik, C. V. Diaconu, R. L. Martin, I. D. Prodan, G. E. Scuseria, Nicola Spaldin, L. Petit, T.C. Schulthess, and W. E. Pickett, Phys. Rev. B, 74, 195110 (2006).

·A Comparison of Hybrid Density Functional Theory with Photoemission of Surface Oxides of delta Plutonium, M. T. Butterfield, T. Durakiewicz, J. J. Joyce, I. D. Prodan, G. E. Scuseria, E. Guziewicz, J. A. Sordo, K. N. Kudin, R. L. Martin, A. J. Arko, K. S. Graham, D. P. Moore and L. A. Morales, Surf. Science 600, 1637 (2006).

·Assessment of Metageneralized Gradient Approximation and Screened  Coulomb Hybrid Density Functionals on Bulk Actinide Oxides, I. D. Prodan, G. E. Scuseria and R. L. Martin, Phys. Rev. B, 73, 045104 (2006).

·Lattice Defects and Magnetic Ordering in Plutonium Oxides: A Hybrid Density Functional Theory Study of Strongly Correlated Materials, I. D. Prodan, G. E. Scuseria, J. A. Sordo, K. N. Kudin and R. L. Martin, J. Chem. Phys., 123, 014703 (2005).

·Intensity Dependence of Photoassociation in a Quantum Degenerate Atomic Gas, I. D. Prodan, M. Pichler, M. Junker, R. G. Hulet and J. L. Bohn, Phys. Rev. Lett., 91, 080402 (2003).

·Direct Observation of Growth and Collapse of a Bose–Einstein Condensate with Attractive Interactions, J. M. Gerton, D. Strekalov, I. Prodan and R. G. Hulet, Nature, 408, 692 (2000).

·Experimental Studies of the NaK 1(3)Delta State, J. Huennekens, I. Prodan, A. Marks, L. Sibbach, E. Galle, T. Morgus, and L. Li, J. Chem. Phys., 113, 7384 (2000).

·Experimental Study of the NaK 3(1)Pi State, E. Laub, I. I. Mazsa, S. C. Webb, J. La Civita, I. Prodan, Z. J. Jabbour, R. K. Namiotka, and J. Huennekens, J. Mol. Spectrosc., 193, 376 (1999).

 

Professional Presentations:

Invited

·The Localization/Delocalization Dilemma and the Electronic Structure of f-element Oxides, R. L. Martin, I. Prodan, K. N. Kudin, G. E. Scuseria and P. J. Hay, 24^th Rare Earth Research Conference, Keystone, CO (June 2005).

·Hybrid DFT Studies of Plutonium Oxides, I. Prodan, ACS National Meeting, Anaheim, CA (March 2004).

·Photoassociation of a Quantum Degenerate Gas, I. Prodan, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA (May 2002).

·Molecular Spectroscopy of a Bose-Einstein Condensate, J. M. Gerton, I. Prodan and R. G. Hulet, ILS Meeting, Long Beach, CA (October 2001).

·Direct observation of growth and collapse of a Bose-Einstein condensate with attractive interactions,  J. M. Gerton, I. Prodan, D. Strekalov, & R. G. Hulet, QELS Meeting, Baltimore (May 2001).

 

Contributed

·  Production of Ultracold Molecules from a Quantum Degenerate Gas of ⁷Li, I. Prodan, J. M. Gerton, B. Frew and R. G. Hulet, Rice Quantum Institute (RQI) Colloquia, Houston, TX (August 1999).

·  Experimental Studies of the NaK 3¹P and 1³D States, I. Prodan et al., DAMOP 2000, Storrs, CT (May 2000).

·  Producing Ultracold Lithium Dimers in a Magnetic Trap, I. Prodan, J. M. Gerton, D. Strekalov and R. G. Hulet, RQI Colloquia, Houston, TX (August 2000).

·  Molecular Spectroscopy of a Bose-Einstein Condensate, I. Prodan, J. M. Gerton, D. Strekalov and R. G. Hulet, APS Texas Fall Meeting, Houston, TX (October 2000).

·  Molecular Spectroscopy of Ultracold ⁷Li Atoms, I. Prodan, J. M. Gerton and R. G. Hulet, DAMOP 2001, London, Ontario, Canada (May 2001).

·  Molecular Spectroscopy of Ultracold ⁷Li Atoms, I. Prodan, J. M. Gerton, M. Junker and R. G. Hulet, RQI Colloquia, Houston, TX (August 2001).

·  Coherent Photoassociation of a Quantum Degenerate Gas, I. Prodan, M. Junker and R. G. Hulet, QELS 2002, Long Beach, CA (May 2002).

·  Second-Order Many-Body Perturbation Theory for Periodic Systems, I. Prodan, CECAM Workshop on Rigorous Ab Initio Studies of Periodic Systems, Lyon, France (May 2003).

·  Second-Order Many-Body Perturbation Theory for Periodic Systems, I. Prodan, RQI Colloquia, Houston, TX (August 2003).

·  Hybrid DFT Studies of Bulk Plutonium Dioxide, I. Prodan et al., Sanibel Symposium, St. Augustine, FL (March 2004).

·  Hybrid DFT Studies of Bulk Actinide Oxides, I. Prodan et al., ACS National Meeting, Philadelphia, PA (August 2004).

·  Hybrid DFT Studies of Bulk Actinide Oxides, I. Prodan et al., SW Regional Meeting of the ACS, Forth Worth, TX (October 2004).

·  Hybrid DFT Studies of Bulk Actinide Oxides, I. Prodan et al., Sanibel Symposium, St. Simons Isl., GA (March 2005).

 

 

Awards:

·Harry B. Weiser Research Award in Chemistry, Rice University (2005).

·IBM-Zerner Fellowship for Graduate Students (2005).

·Sanibel Symposium:  Superior Poster Award (2004).

·American Physical Society - Division of Laser Science:  Travel award for research presentation at Quantum Electronics and Laser Science conference (2002).

·American Physical Society - Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics: Two travel awards for research presentations at APS DAMOP.

·American Physical Society:  Travel award for participation at the APS Centennial Meeting in Atlanta, GA (1999).

·Welch Foundation: Predoctoral Fellowships (summers of 2000, 2001, 2002).

·Lehigh University: F. J. Feigl Memorial Award.

·European Community: Two TEMPUS scholarships which enabled research work at Laboratoire de PhotoPhysique Moléculaire, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France.

·Romanian Government: Outstanding Student Fellowships (for three consecutive years).

·Romanian National Olympiads: Mathematics and physics.

Experimental Skills:

·Lasers:  Extensive experience with commercial frequency-stabilized dye and Ti:Sa lasers; large-frame ion lasers; design, development and operation of externally stabilized diodes.

·Synchrotron radiation: low intensity ultraviolet radiation.

·Optics:  Experience with standing-wave and traveling-wave electro-optic modulators; acousto-optic modulators; phase contrast imaging systems; cooled CCD cameras; line-scan video; low light-level detection with photodiodes and photomultiplier tubes; fiber optics.

·Vacuum:  Experience with utilization of UHV systems (to 10^-12 Torr) using ion, titanium sublimation and turbo-molecular technologies.

·Atomic and Molecular Beams:  Familiarity with several alkali beam-source and heat pipe designs; manipulation of atomic beams using laser-cooling and magnetic guiding; free jet expansion of molecular beams; TOF mass spectrometry.

·Electronics: Design and construction of high bandwidth optical phase lock; small signal amplifiers; miscellaneous data acquisition hardware; microwave circuitry.

 

Computer-related Skills:

·HTML: webmaster.

·Experience as system administrator, especially on IBM/AIX RS6000 machines.

·Computational physics: finite element modeling using COMSOL Multiphysics; extensive experience with ab initio calculations on extended systems using Gaussian orbitals and periodic boundary conditions; numerical calculation of scattering states, bound states and Franck-Condon overlaps.

 

Teaching experience:

·Undergraduate physics labs (Rice University and Lehigh University).

·Physics tutoring for athlete students (Rice University).

·AP Calculus teacher at Robert M. Beren Academy.

 

Affiliations:

Member of the American Physical Society, Society of Petroleum Engineers, Japan-America Society of Houston, Southern Badminton Association, Rice University Badminton Club and Rice University French Club.

Languages: English, French, Romanian.